Working from home can be very rewarding, but it is not without its challenges. From the temptations of couch and kitchen to friends and family who think that you are available at the drop of a hat, potential pitfalls abound. Don’t let the challenges of working from home drive you back to the office, though. Here are a few handy tips for making home – based work work for you.
Setting a work schedule has worked very well for me. Not only does it keep me on track as far as providing enough time to get my work done, it keeps me from feeling anxious throughout the day about when I am going to get my work done. Since you are designing the schedule, design it to fit your life. For example, I’m a full time stay at home mom, so I schedule myself to begin work an hour after the kids usually go to bed and continue working until I go to bed at a reasonable hour.
Knowing your biggest distractions and taking steps to keep them out of reach is another useful strategy. If you get sucked into Facebook, email, or online games, restrict your access to them or schedule yourself for breaks during which you do those things for a set amount of time and then stop. Television? Use a DVR or TiVo to capture your favorite shows so that you can watch them outside of your working hours. My biggest temptation is the kitchen. I have changed my eating habits so that I no longer snack all through the evening. I do have something small around the time that I sit down to work, but that’s it.
Take breaks. You’ll be more productive if you regularly give yourself a couple of breaks during your “shift”. Leaving your work area provides a change of scenery that gets your mind going. Taking some time away from your computer is essential for eye health, and getting up and moving around is important for your entire body. Plus, happy workers are more productive workers. Breaks can help you to feel like you are being taken care of, instead of plugging away at a thankless task.
Photo by lensfusion on morguefile.com.