Many coaches operate their practices from home. There are plenty of good reasons to work from home but there are also a few pitfalls. One of the real perils of working from home is getting distracted.

For me distractions mean everything other than work: taking care of the dog, reading non-business email, feeding and re-feeding myself, reading books or magazines not related to my work, surfing web sites, doing chores, reading blogs that are not feeding my business. The list could go on and on and on. . . .

Perhaps even more distracting than non-work related matters is spending time thinking about work ideas that are not related to my immediate tasks. I think it is important to keep the mental doors open to new ideas, to be able to brainstorm, to explore new business concepts or approaches. The problem is, for some of us, those brainstorms can take control of an entire day. . .or longer. The result? We don’t stay focused on our current work.

Here’s the deal I make with myself in order to stay focused on what I need to do today –

Each morning while I am still drinking my first cup of coffee, I give myself 30 minutes to sit with a notepad and take what I call “brainstorming notes” — writing down business ideas that have floated to the surface that I might want to look at more carefully in the future. If something comes up that I think looks promising, I will plan to spend the time I need investigating the idea in more detail. That time has to be scheduled in. . .which leads to my next “staying focused” strategy.

While I am still sitting there with my notepad — before I put myself in front of the computer — I list my tasks for the day, estimate the time for each one, and give them a priority level from A to E. If there is time available, I will schedule in my “brainstorm” ideas. If not, they have to wait for another day. Eventually, I will look at them more carefully — perhaps in the evening when my other tasks are done.

There’s a reason why I write out my task list on a notepad first, before turning on the computer. For me, the computer is one big distraction machine. I want to read all the news I can find, read and respond to tons of email that has nothing to do with work, look at the latest NBA news, check out some blogs, etc. etc. Before I know it, half the morning can be swept away before I’ve even thought about my real job.

So, my rule is that when I go to the computer for the first time each day, my first task is to check the calendar on my Personal Information Manager and enter the task list I wrote on the notepad. That process helps to keep me mentally focused on the things that matter most today. I just remind myself that even home business owners get breaks for lunch (usually), and I can always read the online edition of my local newspaper at noon.

I know that everyone has to develop their own time-management strategy, but I thought I would tell you what works for me. By the way, I’ve used something called Time and Chaos (now called Intellect) for many years as my PIM and contact manager. I’ve tried using Outlook but feel like I am lugging around a 600 pound dead guerrilla whenever I use it. So I stick with Chaos.

This “staying focused” topic has all sorts of alley ways and side-streets — I hope we can go down a few of them.

Got some ideas of your own? Feel free to comment or drop me a line.

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