How To Really Work From Home
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
How To Really Work From Home.
To most people that have to commute to their job every day, the dream of how to really work from home is one that conjures up visions of conference calls in pyjamas, flexible hours and more time to be with family.
The reality is that if you want to know how to really work from home, you have to focus more on the “work” part of that phrase and less on the “home”. How can you be highly productive while working from home? Here are some tips on how to really work from home.
Seven Tips On How To Really Work From Home
1. Get Into A Routine. Working from home can either be the source of a variety of distractions or turn into a 24-hour workday. Setting up a routine for yourself will help you ward off burnout and become more productive. Just as you would if you were going to a job outside your home, pick a start time, an end time, and break times. If you find that you are easily distracted, try picking up some time management books, ebooks, videos, seminars, etc.
2. Make Your Schedule Public. It is important that your family and friends know that, just because you are home, doesn’t mean you have a bunch of spare time to waste. Your inner circle should understand that what you do is serious and they need to respect your time.
3. Its Not a Home Office / Daycare. While working from home can offer you the opportunity to spend more time with your children, it defeats the purpose if you have to work twice as long because you are watching over the kids during your day. Arrange proper child care during the day so that you can remain focused.
4. Stay Connected. Working from home can cause one to feel isolated at times. Cabin fever can kick in and we start to lose the connection with the rest of the world. Check in to the office or with coworkers when you can. If you live significantly further away from the office, find opportunities to network with people that are in a similar business.
5. Keep It Professional. What do you do when you need to meet with clients? It is important to keep your corporate image when working from home or remotely. There are executive centers in most cities where you can rent a boardroom or office space by the hour and you can hold a professional presentation there. Hotels often have meeting centers and boardrooms that you can rent for meetings. This is a far better option than having a client come to your home and you having to move the cereal box sitting on the kitchen table before discussing business.
6. Create Your Office Space. The kitchen table, the couch, the bed – while these all may be comfortable, they aren’t the ideal place to do your work every day. Create a space in your home where you “go to work” – whether that is a spare bedroom or a corner in the basement. Have a desk, phone, headset, computer, and all the supplies you need so that you aren’t constantly searching for what you need. Have ergonomic furniture to support you physically while you work.
7. Take Your Breaks! You would take a coffee or lunch break if you were at the office, wouldn’t you? Then do the same thing at your home office. Get up, stretch and move around, give your brain a break, refresh and refocus for the rest of the day. These breaks are proven to be very important and beneficial to anyone working a full day.
I love working from home. The energy in my home is very positive, I can light a candle or play music in the background. I have animals that I can talk to throughout the day and I don’t waste time getting caught up in idle, unnecessary “water cooler” gossip or drama. I save time by not having to commute and I save money by not using gas or paying for parking. Instead of spending money on lunches and coffees, I make myself what I need here at home. Now THIS is how to REALLY work from home!!!