Productivity really comes down to focus, doesn’t it? If you’re not focused, how can you get things done? How can your mind keep you moving towards your goals? There are 19,500,000 articles about productivity hacks (according to our recent Google search), so you have plenty of options to help you find your focus and build your momentum. But let us help you narrow it down a bit — this one productivity hack has been used by famous authors, and if you use it just right, you might be able to finally press forward on your goals.
The Productivity Hack Used by Famous Authors
Where does the best writing happen?
For that matter, where do the best ideas and advancements take place?
While the answers to these questions will be as varied as the people who are doing the writing and having the ideas, there is one common thread found from three famous authors (and likely countless others!).
John Steinbeck wrote his novels on his fishing boat. Maya Angelou rented out hotel rooms to get her writing done. And Peter Benchley, author of Jaws, wrote in a back room of a furnace factory.
These culture-changing authors weren’t sitting at a tidy desk at home, like we might imagine. No, they were leaving their homes to get their best thinking and writing done.
What does this mean for you and your productivity?
Well, take a look at your work location.
If you’re working from home, as so many of us still are, it might be time to take this productivity hack and find someplace else to get your work done.
Free From Distractions
What do you think propelled Steinbeck, Angelou, and Benchley to leave their homes when it was time to write?
We can’t know for sure, but as a business designed to help others increase productivity, we suspect they knew the same secret we know: Home is just far too distracting.
When you’re at home, laundry is literally always staring at you. Dishes are begging to be cleaned up, and the dust on your bookshelf feels so intrusive when you’re trying to focus.
And that’s just the day-to-day maintenance items. What about the flooring you wish you could replace? Or the leaking toilet, or the fridge that is humming a bit too loudly? These problems are always waiting for you, but when you’re working at home, you can’t escape them.
Is the Office the Best Choice, Then?
After more than a year of work-from-home life where laundry piles and spreadsheets had to learn to coexist, you might think the best idea is to run screaming back to the office as soon as you’re able.
And while the office has its perks (someone else does the dusting, thankfully!), it also has its own set of distractions.
Coworkers who think it’s appropriate to interrupt you with their emergencies, impromptu meetings, office drama, and more can still keep your productivity down.
Plus, if there’s a commute, you lose precious time with your family and you have to deal with the stress of traffic.
So what’s a better option? How can you use this famous-author productivity hack for yourself?
Stay Close to Home, Instead of Right at Home
Find a distraction-free environment close to home that isn’t right at home. While the coffee shop has been an option for many years, you might consider checking out a coworking space. Fitted with clean, distraction-free office space, conference rooms, cubicles, and more, you can have your choice of the best environment for you.
If you work best with a bit of background noise, like Benchley, choose a desk in the open space area. If you need quiet, take a cue from Angelou’s private hotel room, and book yourself a private office with a door to shut.
A coworking space gives you the freedom to think only about your projects and work. Then when you’re at home, you can focus only on family and home. This compartmentalization will help you find productivity — as well as peace and creativity — in both places.
Coworking Connection in Murrieta and Temecula can be your best productivity hack. Give us a call at 1-800-762-1391 or stop in to learn about our affordable options. Just want to test us out? Book a free coworking space on Wednesday from 8:00 am to 10:00 am. If you want to stay the whole day, pay only $10.