Working at home is not for the faint of heart—nor for the easily distracted.

I have worked at home for over fifteen years and I know a lot about distractions. While I no longer have small children or teenagers in the house, the distractions dangled before my eyes by the rest of my life are countless.

Know your direction

Facebook is fascinating, blogs are brilliant, and email is endless, but if spending time on any of these will not result in my business success, I will have wasted precious time looking at them. In order to avoid distractions it is vital that you know what your goals are for your work.

I will be the first to admit that it’s not easy to stop and ask yourself if what you’re about to do will contribute to your goals, but once you get in the habit, I think you’ll find that your productivity will increase, and most likely your bottom line, too.
The Internet is a fun toy, so if you remind yourself that cat videos and knitting blogs are for off-work times, you won’t feel deprived of those enjoyments, and you will get a lot more done.

Give your brain a break

For creative people and dedicated individuals, putting your head down and working straight through can happen without you realizing that hours have passed. I tend to write or work on art or websites only to look up and realize that it’s already 4:00 PM and I’ve hardly left my desk for hours.

A good way to avoid this is to set a timer to ring after fifty minutes of work. When it goes off, get up, walk around, breathe deeply, stretch, and adjust your gaze to something far away out your window. This is good for your brain, your circulation, and your eyesight.

Move it, baby

This brings me to my final point in this series. Be sure to build breaks into your day that include going outside and getting some fresh air. Go weed your garden for ten minutes, take a brisk walk to the mailbox or the corner store, or just walk around the block. It’s not healthy to sit for hours at a time.

It’s also important to have human contact, so if you work alone all day, be sure to factor in a trip to the library, or a networking event so that you get out of the house. Working at home can be lonely and isolating, even if you’re an introvert and love your own company.

Get up, move around, see people, and do something fun. You will have more success if you balance your work life with lots of other activities and you’ll enjoy it all more, too.

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Are your goals set? Are you all geared up to get started on them? Have you established some ways to support your goals? What will ensure that you actually stay on your desired path?

It is easy to get off path. It is easy to get all wrapped in stuff in everyday life. You know what I mean? I know, I have been off track with my goals. When you do set goals and establish ways to get where you want to go, how do you stay on track?

It sounds easy

When you have clear goals that you want to achieve, it is easier to set the steps to achieve them. It sounds easy. The fact is you will only take control of your goal when you "stop doing things" that you are doing.

Look at your life right now? What does it look like? Did you get the steps done today to reach your goal? What you did today will show up later? How then do you stay on track?

Here are two steps to stay on track towards your goals:

1. Hire a coach or mentor.

This is one effective way to stay on track towards what you desire in life. The coach can guide you in the right path. They can tweak your game. There are all types of coaches for any goal from weight loss to relationships to business. Find the right one for you.

If you can't afford one right now, report to someone you trust. Have a significant other person serve as a coach. This will help ensure that you do what you are supposed to be doing to reach that goal. Most successful people have coaches.

2. Join people who have a goal similar towards yours.

There are many organizations in your own community. If you can't find one in your area, check online; there are all types. By surrounding yourself with like-minded people, you can accelerate your steps towards your desire goal. Surround yourself with reinforcement. It holds you accountable.

Most people get off track on their goals at some point. When you find yourself off the track, ask yourself, "What I am doing right now? Is it towards or away from my desired goal?"

Once you start to take action on your top priorities, you will gain more confidence. You will have more time power. You will feel like you are walking on water.