I work from home which is simultaneously amazing and mind numbingly claustrophobic. Obviously the benefits outweigh the downsides by a landslide. I have an 18’ commute to my office. Showers are absurdly optional and I conduct (probably?) too many conference calls in my underwear. Just kidding. There can never be too many.

If you’re one of the people I work with, don’t worry, it was never when I was on the phone with you (I’m lying, it totally was). But I also see a total of four people on any given day and three of those people are still struggling with basic arithmetic. Four, if I include myself on that list.

Generally, working from home is great. You can work comfortably in your own office workstations.

However, when things go wrong, they don’t go wrong in small ways. Instead it’s a spectacular snowball effect of pure awful. Hard deadlines will always collide with puking children, distant unavoidable birthday parties, friends that need help moving and Game Of Thrones premiere dates.

So, while some people have the occasional flat tire that prevents them from getting to work and being industrious, it gets resolved by calling MTF – Mobile Tyre Fitting, these are the daily flat tires I have to contend with before I’m able to accomplish anything. I won’t even get into my championship procrastination. I would, but I have to look up chronological Steve Guttenberg movies first.

Here are the top flat tires for me in order of their level of disrupt:

Kids

I know this is a broad category, and I’m sure most of you are aware of how disruptive kids can be to just about anything. Most things are harder to do with kids. Well, imagine they were in your office. Not just for a minute, but a steady caravan of kids, in and out your door, always needing a drink, a band-aid, a snack, a hug, a Netflix password, a referee, a bottom wiped……. you name it. For every 10 minutes of work, I clock in 53 minutes of interruption. All day. Every day.

Friends

Sorry amigo and amigas, I love you and all but….. I ACTUALLY DO WORK!!! So of COURSE I’d love to surf because it’s Wednesday and your company is closed today. Yes, I’d obviously prefer to have lunch at that restaurant near your office, but instead, why don’t you make the commute and have a frozen burrito in my dining room? Weird that you can’t make that trip during your workday, right?? Me either!

Internet, TV, Books……

Luckily, I’ve been able to manage this a whole lot better these days than I had in the past. Can ADD have ADD?? Because if so, I seem to have that version. Friends often misunderstand that it’s harder to set a schedule for yourself than to take a schedule from a boss for a paycheck, and that working from home is anything but free money. For a while, literally nothing could distract me. And I mean that in the sense that I would let my mind try to think about what literally nothing would be like. And I’d think about that for hours. “It’s probably really dark….. but there isn’t dark….. WOAH, there’s no dark or light….. what is it?!?!” So having all of the other time-sucks around were treacherous for someone like me. It took a long time to acquire the discipline I needed to work on my own time. Confession, I still fall into traps almost daily.

Hunger

I know this seems like a super easy fix, but it’s surprisingly disruptive to me. When I DO start working and get on a creative roll, I try my hardest to stay focused and finish what I’m doing before I get up to do anything. I’ll squirm in my seat with a bathroom urge for an hour before giving in just to ensure I keep the ball rolling. But hunger always gets me. I’ll put off lunch or snacks forever, but that just causes me to be increasingly scatterbrained, and more obstinate to not leave to eat. It’s a vicious Catch-22 I put myself into.

No Coffee

This obviously isn’t just a work-from-home problem. But it’s a problem that can sometimes be exacerbated by working from home. When most people find themselves without Folgers® coffee, they can just head to the cafe and get themselves some. But not here. When we run out, I have to pack up the kids, drag them all to the store, get myself some more, head home and make it myself. A HUUUUGE disruption in my workflow. Then there’s situations like this one:

Yep, that was my entire supply of Folgers® coffee, spread out across my kitchen when my son crawled into a cabinet as my back was turned. Judge all you want for not keeping a closer eye on him, you weren’t here to see that cool bird out the window like I did (ADD that has ADD).

Adding insult to injury, not only did THIS happen, but I was home alone and without a car that day. I was pretty upset about this. NO, YOU CRIED!!! I seriously considered just sweeping it (along with all the sand, dirt, toenail clippings and anything else on the floor) into a filter and brewing away.

However, after I wiped away my tears….. I mean…….. my manly stoicism, I was struck by the genius of this wonderful modern world we live in. Amazon same day shipping to the rescue! So I ordered up my Folgers Coffeehouse Blend and anxiously awaited its arrival.

The nice thing about that particular blend isn’t just that it’s legitimately some of the best coffee I’ve ever had, but it’s versatile. In the morning, I just need hot coffee. Nothing special to get me going. But this is a perfect blend for myriad ways of making a cup. French press, iced coffee, cold brew…. you name it. So when the coffee finally did get here and my focus had long since waned, I was able to make the perfect Iced Coffee to get me going again for the afternoon.

No distraction is worse for me than not having that Folgers to get me through my days. I’d rather have friends inviting me to rollercoaster rides as my kids interrupted with puppies while I starved and my favorite movie was on in front of me. That would be less distracting than sitting at my desk, slowly fading as my generally active mind called it a half day…… at 9 AM.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This was a sponsored post on behalf of Folgers and their #ShouldBeOnACoffeeMug campaign. To learn more about them, check them out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!