Motivation: Getting back your work focus

It's easy for solopreneurs to lose work focus and motivation. We only have ourselves to rely on to make sure the business runs smoothly. But before you take any steps to curb the problem, some lateral thinking can be very helpful.

We’ve all been there, especially if you work at home. Distractions loom large to take you away from work, even if you love what you do.

When distraction takes a hold of me, household chores suddenly take precedence. If I see the washing, it must be done and I have to make the beds before I can even think about turning on my PC. And then there’s the dishwasher, taking out the rubbish, even cleaning the toilet can sometimes take precedence. The list of distractions is endless.

What’s behind the distraction?

Before we leap into some practical ways to hone your work focus and motivation, the first step is to examine why the distractions are winning out over something that many of us have long dreamed of doing.

Usually it’s just something as simple as a little bit of business burn-out. Our brains taking us on the holiday that we need but don’t have time to take. So, the unproductive afternoon is a way of recharging the batteries and we’re right back into it the next day.

But if you’re finding it hard to focus for long periods, you need to think about what could be pushing you away from work. This is especially important if you are not just losing focus on your current work, but also on future work and moving the business forward.

It could be something in your personal life or a difficult or uninteresting work project. Once you sit down and really think about what the problem is, finding a solution should be easy.

If the reason for your lack of work focus is a personal one, ignoring it is only going to make you less productive. In this situation, it’s better to give yourself a little time off to sort matters out and steer yourself back to where you want to be.

If your lack of focus is down to procrastination about a particular project, tackling it head on is the only way to go. Try a few different things until you find what works for you.

What else can I do to get my work focus back?

Spruce up your workspace

We all work differently and need different things to keep us creative and focused. Perhaps your desk needs a bit of a spring clean. Sure, it’s just another distraction but once it’s done, you’ll feel better and may have new enthusiasm.

Change the ambiance

If you’re like me, working at home can sometimes leave you feeling lonely and uninspired. To combat this, I listen to music while I work. However, I have working music and enjoyment music. If I mix the two I spend all my time listening and no time working. I’ve built up a catalogue of music that I change based on which client I’m working for. Amazingly changing the music can determine how productive I am.

Change the location

Sometimes all you need is a change of scenery. Something as simple as taking the laptop out into the garden or down to a café can give you the burst of creativity you need to get back on track.

Give yourself a reward

Sometimes the only way to get your work focus back is to resort to every Mum’s staple in the battle of raising children, the reward system. Try setting yourself a time limit where you work solidly and focus on getting part of the task done. At the end of that period, if you’ve managed to keep at it, give yourself a reward. It could be lunch with a friend, a trip to the hairdressers or a guilt-free hour of surfing – literal or virtual!

Once you have determined the cause of your lack of focus and managed to combat it in a way that works for you, your motivation should return so you can finish the project and move on to more interesting work.

If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to learn from the experience and avoid projects that make you start reaching for the toilet brush!

Karen Morris specialises in business to business communications using clear, straightforward language to deliver the right message directly to an audience.

6 comments | Add your own

Just thinking of the toilet brush is enough to keep my nose to the grindstone! Grant Hyman from Sydney | Read my articles
Anyone up for a coffee?
Megan Baker from Sydney
The ultimate measure of the fact we have a business is : is it making money.
Then , is what I am doing now ADDING to my income ?
All activity does not add to your income , like opening the mail...But if you change your focus to things that will pay you , you can put a $ value on the activity. A simple Excell spreadsheet will show you the past and be an insight to the future. Activity = invoices = cash flow .
This enables focus on money earning tasks ...
If your just filling in time then perhaps its time to fire yourself , coz you are the boss , and the boss doesnt stand for employees doing nothing. AL from MELBOURNE
Couldnt agree with you more AL. The Business owner should never lose sight of the fact that if he keeps himself productive and focused on value added activities, his business will flourish. Otherwise it will flounder. I have seen many a businessmen waste time in idle speculation while the most important needs of the business are getting neglected. Likewise making sure that the activities of staff are aligned to the goals of the business and making them motivated is equally important. jasmine from www.searchenginerankings.com.au from Melbourne, Australia
I work from a home office with much time spent out on jobs / projects.
What worked for me with motivation was that each morning after shower/breakfast/etc I would leave my house and walk five blocks west, then five blocks north, then five blocks east, then south. That way I would arrive at 'the office door' , enter and start my day in the office. This made a huge difference to the start of each day instead of just walking through the hall and starting often drifting into the work day. Glenys from Melbourne
I like the idea of 'walking to work' Glenys - I've only made it to the garden and back, but I suppose it's the same psychology. I find I procrastinate because I am looking for ways to win work, but then stop because I'm worried I am doing things incorrectly or going to fail. I think a lot of motivation is also about confidence. Some days are just better than others. At least we know how to motivate Grant from Sydney - where's that toilet brush..... Marie Chandler, Office Support Online from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

6 comments | Add your own

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