As appealing as it may seem, working from home is not as easy as many presume it to be; it needs high level of motivation, determination, strong will power and above all, love for your work.
You could be running a small business from home or crafting for a living, you could be a freelancer or a service provider, whatever the nature of you work may be, joys of lazing around while at work and mixing up personal chores with work tempts many and in return hampers productivity.
If you are working from home or intend to in the future, then you must have a look at this check list. Apart from enhancing your productivity, this list focuses on smart work rather than hard work.
Define Your Work Space
If you have the same room as your work station and play station arena, then you are bound to get distracted and end up loosing up on productivity. If you keep shifting from one room to another, sometimes in kitchen or sometimes on the couch, then you will not be able to give your 100% to your office. Create a separate work space and create an environment around it that says 'this is your office not your living room'.
If Not Shower, Atleast Change Once A Day
Working from home has numerous advantages, and choosing your own dress code is one of them. Some people prefer to dress up even while they are at home, while some prefer to remain in their sweats and pajamas; whatever the choice of clothing you may have, please consider changing atleast once which will remind you that a new day has started.
Separate Telephone Lines
Assuming that you have a separate space for your office, it is essential to have a phone line for your work station. Having said that, it is advisable to have separate lines for home and work, it not only segregates work from personal life, but it also makes you and your work more professional.
Take Breaks
No one can work 8 hrs at a stretch and be equally productive at all times. Remind yourself to pause for a while and take a coffee break for instance. Take a walk outside and breathe some fresh air, you could make yourself a quick snack; after all you are working from home, so take complete advantage of it and give yourself a break.
Have A Schedule
You could be a morning person or an owl, you could start your day as soon as the sun rises or when the clock strikes midnight; whatever your preferred timing may be, you must have a schedule that you aim to follow regularly. It will not only help you in defining separate timing for work, but will also help you in realizing when to stop and relax.
Talk to Someone
Talk to someone during the day, don't consume yourself with so much work that you spend the entire day working in silence. It affects your nervous system, thereby affecting your productivity. You could either chat someone over the phone if you work alone, or have a conversation with your colleague or your neighbor.
A Good Chair
When we work for someone else, or in a company, we always carve and envy for our boss's chair . Now that you are working for yourself, and you are your own boss, then why not own a chair that you've always wanted. Find a perfect chair for yourself, and enjoy it.
Kiss A Frog Every Morning
Tom McKay, a marketing and copy-writing expert advices to "do your least desirable work first". Start with the most difficult task first, it will not only lessen the burden for the entire day but also make the day better since the hard job is already taken care of.
Reward Yourself
Rewarding yourself is the best way to motivate yourself. There will be days when you work exceptionally hard and are happy with the outcome, on such days make it a point to reward your self with something special, it could be buying yourself a new dress, going to the movies or hitting the bar with your friends. Subconsciously, it will remind you of the good times when you are having a bad day or need motivation to meet a deadline.
Set Rules
Self discipline is a core attribute required within those who work for themselves. Define certain set of rules yourself, whatever you deem necessary. The best way to go about it to make a list of major distractions in your house and come up with ways or rules to avoid them, once you know what drifts your concentration away, you will be able to define rules for yourself in a more efficient way.
Remember that your home office deserves same attention, respect and dedication as any other. What do you do to keep yourself disciplined while working from home?
All good points. Here are a few extra ideas that I have found help:
1) Make sure your work area is tidy before you start. A cluttered desk seems to subconsciously muddle the brain.
2) Make a point of keeping work deadlines short where possible.
3) Invest a little time and money in finding a few applications for your computer that seriously increase your productivity.
4) Have a reminder pop up on your computer desktop once every few hours that asks "are you inventing things to do to avoid the important?"
5) Make sure you get some real exercise every day. Having a dog gets you out of the house and is also quiet company when you are stuck in the office. Time spent outdoors walking is also a useful time to reflect and clear your thoughts.
6) Study your workflow and look to see if there are areas where it would be more efficient to outsource than doing it yourself.
Hi Ashley,
Thank you for very interesting and useful tips.
Having a pet not only gives you much needed company, but also brings positivity, if not a pet then having a plant also brings life in the office.
Thanks again for pointing out some very practical points. :)
I've just remembered one other useful practice that I picked up recently from a book. I now have a post-it note stuck on my computer just below the monitor with a note that says "If this is the only thing I accomplish today, will I be satisfied with my day?". Sometimes just glancing at that note forces me to concentrate on what is important and ensure I complete the tough jobs rather than keeping myself "busy" with distractions.
Thanks for the tip Ashley, very useful indeed. From now on, I have a post-it note on my screen too. :)
I've just remembered one other useful practice that I picked up recently from a book. I now have a post-it note stuck on my computer just below the monitor with a note that says "If this is the only thing I accomplish today, will I be satisfied with my day?". Sometimes just glancing at that note forces me to concentrate on what is important and ensure I complete the tough jobs rather than keeping myself "busy" with distractions.