Working From Home? Here's an Extra Shot of Focus

In case people aren't yet sick of me plugging the ambient noise generator I built, here are some sites that block out background noise as a supplement to a good pair of headphones for distraction-free work:

http://coffitivity.com

http://noisli.com

http://asoftmurmur.com

I like working with music on, but I find it very hard to find music that allows me to truly focus, and when I do I quickly get tired of listening to the same tracks over and over. I like ambient noise because it blocks out the world without stealing focus.

I also like this Buddhist chant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG_lNuNUVd4

> I allow myself 15 minutes of Reddit per day.

He's definitely not the only one. We noticed this trend very early on -- a lot of users have a fixed amount of time.

If we made an improvement to page loading times, time on site stayed fixed, but the number of pages each user viewed went up. In other words, they were reading more in the same amount of time.

We found that fascinating.

Is "work from home on a team" different than "work from home bootstrapping by yourself"? The article mentions "While working from the office, it’s hard to get quality work done every day. Doing it from home is even harder" and at least for me, it's much easier to get quality work done at home. Maybe I'm lucky and have built a distraction free home (no kids, wife, or goats).

The other tips don't seem to be "work from home" specific.

As a side note, I think it's really funny how much importance people put on their coffee ritual. I'm a tea drinker, which must mean I'm just a plebeian ;-)

I've worked from home for 2 and a half years after working in only office environments in cubicles.

I find one of the hardest to define and most important was work signalling. When I worked in an office there were many signals that got me mentally and physically prepared to do work. These included:

Getting dressed - I have never worked in my underwear from home but I now make a point to put on some nice pants and shoes and fix my hair/wash my face etc.

Driving - Not commuting is a huge time and energy saver but it still gave me some quiet time to prepare for the day. I now either go for a walk in the morning or "get to work" 15 minutes early and read something interesting and tech oriented.

Greeting Coworkers - I still haven't found a good replacement for this. It's hard to catch up on water cooler talk remotely especially since half my team doesn't even use IM. I try to check in with questions from the previous day or a quick status update via email within the first hour of work.

The office - I've moved my office a couple of times and find it's best if the office is a dedicated room, not a nook or a corner of the living room but something with it's own decor and sense of place. I painted my office spring green to be cheery and have some plants and a bookshelf with tech books on it. I put a glass whiteboard up that I use to brainstorm and will point my webcam at it if I'm working with a remote coworker on something that requires it.

When I first started working form home I thought that distractions were my biggest problem but I've since realized that it's not so much getting rid of distractions, but getting INTO work.

I've been working from home for close to ten years, and one thing to note is that the challenges are exponentially increased when children enter the picture. When those children become teens, the challenges can be epic. Nothing like a flame-out between two daughters in the kitchen next to your office during a conference call! Throw in a couple of pets, just in case the stress level isn't crippling yet. Fortunately I'm a night-owl, and don't have to attend too many meetings. In terms of producing what I need to produce I can often shift work into the quieter evening and early morning hours. In the end I would still much rather work this way. All of the interruptions of family life still prove somehow less disruptive than the endless "networking" and powerpoint-strewn meetings I used to be dragged into when I worked in an office.

I'd also suggest* using tools such Tomatoes[1] that help you stay focused and manage your working time.

Another suggestion is to try to not work from home at all, find a nice coworking space or a shared office.

[1] http://tomato.es

* I'm the author a proud user of this tool

When I raised my first round I worked from home most of the time and time boxing was the key. Writing down one or some goals and trying to achieve them in a given period of time.

For me 19 minutes works the best. It doesn't feel like too much ('19 minutes won't kill me') and still you can move mountains in 19 minutes. I don't do breaks inbetween them, I just make like 3-6 in a row and the some break.

Because none of the tools were really perfect I wrote my own, very lean and a not configurable tool:

- 19 minutes fixed

- a crisp & clear ticking sound (WebKit only)

- browser-based, just enter url and the thing starts without the need to press any further button; the page title shows the running time

=> http://revs.co

Is procrastination as common in other fields like engineering, accounting, marketing etc when compared to programming?

I really like his focus script. However, I think he's treating the symptoms and not the problem. Usually, when I can't focus it just means there's something else that's wrong: 1) I didn't get a good night's sleep, 2) my diet wasn't quite right that day (too much sugar perhaps?) or the previous day, or 3) I've been working too long.

Lack of focus is a signal that something is wrong. In terms of being at home versus at the office, I can have the same lack of focus at the office.

I worked from home for about three years. At one point I had an entirely separate desk and computer for work, adjacent to my personal computer and desk. This is legally required for tax purposes, but it's also the best work/life balance I could find and still maintain focus. If I'm in the work chair on the work computer, I'm working.

These are all good points. Except for the goat.

When I was working at home and the kids were still young, I had a door to the office that was closed when I was "at work". Family could knock if they needed something.

Nice, succinct advice, especially the bit about multi-tasking.

I've always said that multi-tasking is like fixing a flat tire. It's a valuable skill to have, but you should avoid putting yourself in situations that require it.

Great article. I have been working from home with one remote colleague for two years now. I also use head phones to immerse myself 'in the zone'. I find my mind often wanders when I have to wait for something. Already a 6 sec build often makes me briefly check HN, Facebook or my mail. Another big distraction is my girlfriend. It's not always easy to get her to understand that I'm busy despite being at home. Overall, I'm quite satisfied with My focus though, especially when compared with an office environment. YMMV

The company I'm with operates on 3 remotes day per week. It's a terrific balance for me. The on-site days are spent pair programming, sprint demos, meetings, and being social. The remote days are distraction free work.

I think I may need to commit to headphones when working at home, to reduce distraction and signal to my family that I'm working.

I wonder if the dogs will figure it out? And if they do, I wonder if they'll care?

Only marginally related to the post, but has anyone here lived with a pet goat before? Can they live with you in your home, or do they need to stay outside most of the time?

Does anyone have a script that is close to his, except for linux?

do you really have a pet goat?!

Headphones block noise. Headphones are a social signal: "don't interrupt me". Headphones are 'in-the-zone' muscle memory. Headphones are amazing!