The Home Business Athlete Part III: Enhancing Concentration

In this series, we have been looking at some of the similarities between operators of home businesses and professional athletes. Our two previous articles covered performing under pressure, and the proper training necessary in order to build up energy levels. This article will discuss some ways in which a home business owner can sharpen his or her mental focus, allowing the mind to concentrate more sharply on the task at hand.

Any pro athlete knows that when it is time for the big game, a level of concentration is required that goes beyond the norm. In order to win the big prize, it’s important to narrow your concentration down just to the task at hand, and shut out anything that might interfere with your ability to not only complete the task, but to complete it in fine form. Here are some things to consider that can help you to focus your concentration.

Respect From Those Around You

All too often, you have probably heard from friends or family about how they envy the fact that you work out of the house, or that you are in charge of your own schedule. While these are definitely bonuses when it comes to being self employed, there is a measure of disrespect for your work time that can come from this attitude. People impose on the time of those who work from home in ways they would never dream of if that person was to work in an office job; often, home workers are expected to take care of children or housework at the same time that they are trying to compete important tasks.

In order to keep friends and family from breaking your concentration during the times you need to be working, it’s important that you have their respect and cooperation. Make sure they realize that just as they would not want to have someone phone them up at the office just to chat, so too do you need your time to turn out important assignments or other work. If you do have kids, then try to arrange for someone to take care of them while you are working. While it depends on the nature of the work and the nature of the child, most of the time a lot of work simply cannot be done with kids around. If nothing else, it is unfair to your kids to expect them to leave you alone while you are working. Making sure they have someone else to entertain and take care of them will help you to concentrate on business.

Streamline Your Office

Offices should be located out of the way of high traffic areas so that there is minimal noise distraction. Don’t set your computer up in the same room the family uses to watch television; I can guarantee that no matter how good your intentions or how unintrigued you usually are with the program, you will end up watching it instead of doing your work. Also, make sure that your answering machine is set up to take calls. It should pick up on the very first ring, and the volume should be turned right down. This way, you won’t have your concentration constantly being broken up due to phone calls.

Get Rid Of The Clock

Instead of watching the clock constantly, try utilizing different signaling devices to let you know when units of time pass. Watching a clock can be a real concentration breaker; before long, you are looking up every couple of minutes and wondering why time seems to have slowed down. If your business involves clients, this can be a real detriment. Instead of relying too much on the clock, use timers or other programmable devices to let you know when a certain amount of time has passed.

Our final article in this series will focus on taking on the attitude of a winner by becoming an optimist.