Tips To Successfully Work From Home

Those lucky enough to have the option available to them have suddenly found themselves working from home. For many, this may be a completely new experience, and adapting from office life could be difficult. In order to maintain a successful work from home routine, we have some tips for your consideration.

Tips for Working From Home

Work Regular Hours

It can be tempting to work a flexible schedule, starting and stopping at different times for example. We’d actively discourage this for a couple of reasons.

1. It can really throw off your productivity. Mentally establishing a work time helps to keep you in that mindset when you need it.
2. It can really annoy your coworkers if they require your input and coordination. If your schedule is keeping you from being an effective member of a team, then it is not a good schedule. Your mileage may vary, and you don’t necessarily have to work the same specific office hours, but be consistent with how you arrange your time.

Have a Dedicated Work Area

Many people have a specific computer room, or office, in their homes. What’s good about this is that it is easy to turn into a dedicated workspace while you work from home. This is important for your mental state because combining leisure space with the workspace can throw you off.

A leisure space can provide too many distractions, or cause you to procrastinate. Likewise, using your leisure space as a work area can cause you to be restless when it is time to relax, reminding you of work. Dedicated areas will be better for your mental state when you need to do one or the other.

Schedule Breaks and Take Them Regularly

It is tempting to work straight through the day, from the time you start to the time you end, without taking any breaks. Taking some time to step away from work to recharge, or change the scenery, will keep you from burning out as you work. When you do take breaks, don’t cut the time short, use all the time you’ve allotted for a break. Consider keeping to your standard work break system as a good base.

Set Up Expectations With Anyone Else In The House

Nothing could be more distracting than working away on a task and having a family member suddenly come in and break your concentration. You need to establish what your expectations are during your working hours with everyone else in the house with you, be it family, roommates, etc. They need to understand that just because you are physically home, you are not in fact “home”: you are at work.

Use A Separate Phone Number

If taking calls is required for your work, set up a specific “work” number for your coworkers and clients to use. Many would rightly not be comfortable with giving out their home phone numbers. Using a separate number helps you maintain a good work-life balance by avoiding getting disruptive client calls during your off time, or to your private number after you return to working at the office, unless you are always a home worker.

Mileage May Vary

As with all things, your mileage may vary with these tips. Everybody has things that do and don’t work for them personally. Choose whatever ends up being the best option for you personally. These are just some ideas to help start you on your way.

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