How to Work from Home Efficiently
Tips to Help you Boost your Productivity
Working from home can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. Today more people than ever turn their homes into their offices, some working as self-employed or as freelancers and some working for an established employer. No matter in what category you belong in you may have already faced some productivity issues like how to stay focused and how to avoid distractions. If you are used working in an office and having a boss, setting your own hours and accomplishing your daily tasks could be a challenge.
If you are not a self-disciplined person by nature things can become a bit difficult. So i decided to share with you some popular and helpful tips on how to work from home effectively.
- Define your working hours. Be clear with your working hours and establish your own schedule. Having regular working hours every day will help you to be more productive and efficient. Choose hours you are more productive during the day. If you are not a morning that’s fine. It will also help you to avoid working too many hours which is very common for people who work from home. Since you don’t have to leave your office you may forget you have to stop working. Also, make sure to include some breaks in your schedule so you will not feel overwhelmed with your daily tasks.
- Daily goals. Schedule your tasks and what you need to do from the previous day. Make a list with everything you have to accomplish by the end of the day. That way you will be able to concentrate more on your work and you will more productive. If you already know what you need to do you will not waste your time trying to do everything at the same time.
- Create your own space. A professional environment will keep you focused. A home office will also make it easier for the rest of your family to understand that you are actually working and you are not available for them. All your equipment (laptop, printer etc) and your materials related to your work should be in that room. Decorate it in a way that will help you increase your motivation and your performance. Make it comfortable and free of distractions. You will spend a lot of your time in there so make it as functional as you can.
- Professional attitude. Just because you can work wearing your pajamas doesn’t mean you can approach your work in an informal way. Especially when you talk or respond to emails to clients and customers you should always do it in a professional way. Some people will get dressed as if they were going to an actual office. Maintaining your regular routine can make your home office look more like a real office and remind you that you are actually working.
- Don’t mix your work life with your home life. Make sure your friends and your family understand you are off limits. Stay away from distractions like personal emails, social media, and unrelated websites. Also, don’t schedule personal appointments in the middle of the day and stay away from household tasks. Just because you are at home doesn’t mean you are available to run errands or social visits. Stay focused on your work and try to follow your schedule if you want to be productive. Giving yourself some time off is also important so you won’t burn out. Just like you schedule your work life make plans for your social life.
- Stay in touch. Working from home doesn’t mean you have to isolate yourself from your colleagues and other professionals in your industry. Maintain an open line with your co-workers or with your employer through emails, Skype, phone or meeting with them whenever it’s possible is very important. Sometimes people may think it’s not very polite to disturb you in your home so make sure they know your working hours and when they can contact you.
I really hope these tips will help you increase your productivity and make your life easier. These are certainly a lot more tips you can follow but i believe the ones above are the most popular and they really work. Make notes and find out what works best for you and stick with it.
What are your tips for working from home efficiently and effectively? Leave a comment below and share your ideas with us.
Nikos,
These steps are needed when working at home. I like that my schedule for working at home is the same as the school schedule when my son is away. Having no one at home helps with keeping on track. Having a daily work list for things that need to be done is a big help also. I like to tackle the hardest project first as if you wait until last, you may put it off until tomorrow. I have a home office, I prefer to be mobile with the phone or my laptop. I can take the laptop outside in the warmer weather and get some sunshine.
John
Hello John,
Working on your most difficult project first every day is a great advice. Nothing worst from having to postpone important tasks for tomorrow. That is a very bad habit.
Hi,
I recently started working from home but it was really a painful thing to do. I have 2 major problems. The first thing is the work-life balance and the second thing is that I could not concentrate on my business due to other disturbances at my house. You offer some great tips to efficiently work from home. I will try to follow this. Thanks for the post.
Regards,
Mani Y
Hello Mani,
Thank you for your comment. Self-discipline is a very difficult thing for me too so i wrote this post to help others and myself. Those tips really work.