Working from home is an ideal situation for most Americans, and more than ten percent of Americans do work from home, according to a study conducted by Stanford University. If you work from home, then you fully understand the immense capacity for disaster during your “work” day.
Home is comfortable, but home also comes equipped with a rainbow of distractions. Even the most dedicated remote worker will encounter challenges over time while working at home, but there are some ways you can work to reduce the discourse in your home office.
Here are a few helpful tips for making your home office more efficient, effective, and enjoyable.
Designate specific work hours
When you’re at the office, you know that production in your position is an expected outcome. Working from home can get a little shady when you don’t set yourself a specific work schedule.
The benefit of working from home is that you don’t have to work on someone else’s schedule. If you’re more of a second shift person, do your work in the evenings. Whenever your mind is at its best, get to work.
Invest in ergonomic office equipment
Working from home often requires many hours of sitting in the same space. Your office equipment and furniture should be catered to your health and comfort.
It’s okay to spend a little extra on the things that will keep your body from taking on unnecessary damage over time. Invest in ergonomic equipment like keyboards, chairs, and other necessary materials to maintain a functioning office space.
Set boundaries for your family
When you work away from home, your family knows not to blow up your phone to ask silly questions. When you’re working from home, the lines tend to be a little blurry. Friends and family won’t know to respect your borders if you never set them.
Explain to your family that you are not to be bothered while you are working your scheduled work hours, unless it is for an emergency. If you have to, put a lock on your office door to keep them out.
Clearly define a designated work space
If the last sentence you read presented an impossible scenario, you may not have a designated work space. If you are going to be working from home, you will be spending up to 40 hours (and sometimes more) a week focusing on your work. You need an office.
Organization is absolutely critical
Organization may be the bane of your existence at first, but you’ll get used to it. Train yourself to organization first. Without proper organization skills, your home business will get really messy, really fast (figuratively and literally speaking).
Originally posted on July 21, 2018 @ 7:56 am