Working from Home

As things are slowly, but surely starting to get to a new normal, we are finding ourselves return to work or working from home. Depending on your job requirements, returning to the office may be a thing of the past. And so, you may find yourself working from home. Working from home may be new norm for some and may be just what is needed. But for others, it may prove to be a daunting task, especially if you find it hard to focus and stay on task when at home.

How to Make Working from Home Work

Since not everyone jumps for joy at the opportunity to work from home, we have come up with a few ways in which you can make working from home work for you. If you are someone who gets easily distracted and happen to have been told by your employer to work from your home, your may be wondering how to make working from home work. It may just be that you have too many distractions and or things that need doing at home and well you have no quiet space to call your own, but this can certainly be changed.

First step to making working from home work for you is to organize your home. Yes, get organized – a place for everything and everything in its place…this is doable! Start by getting rid of the things you no longer need, use, or want to use. These can be things as simple as clothing or something more complex as a old furniture, broken or old equipment, old computers and printers, etc. Then, clean up and organize your at the very least, your working area.

Second is to set up your working area or room by organizing and decorating your space in the way you desire. Choose what makes you feel at peace and tranquil. You need that space to be somewhere you want to spend up to 8 hours or more of your time. Try to make your work space comfortable, but not lounging comfortable, as you may find yourself doing more relaxing than working.

Third, make a list of all the supplies you need to get your work done. Contact your employer with the list of all items you will be needing and see that they will compensate you for the purchase of those items or simple get them to purchase the items and permit you to use the items in your designated home office.

Fourth, set up your office in a way that is not only inviting to work in, but also permits you to find the things you need easily. The last thing you want is to spend half an hour searching for document s you need.

Fifth, start your work day with a light workout routine. You will be amazed at how a little bit of exercise can rejuvenate and energize the body. So give it a try for a good solid week and see the difference in how well you perform.

Minimizing Distractions

When working from home, there is more than one way to get distracted, especially if you have kids or others living with you that may work from home as well or stay at home. To help minimize those distractions, the best thing to do is set boundaries and let your kids or those that live with you know that with “X” time frame (actually provide them with the time range) you are not to be disturbed, unless it is absolutely necessary.

If you have children that you are solely the caretaker of, then, adjust accordingly, but working during the timeframe in which they are less active, i.e. divide your work time. Work 4 hours after they have gone to bed and the remainder hours before they wake up or work during the night when they are asleep. You can also choose to get up at least 4 hours prior to them waking up and get as much of your time consuming work as needed, then work the remainder hours as needed during the time when they are awake, but have been already taken care of and may not need much help from you.

Another way to minimizing distractions is to set a schedule and make sure the schedule is posted in a common area or preferably outside your office. So there is a clear timeframe blocked off just for work and a “Do Not Disturb” sign at the door is also a good idea…if you have kids be sure to leave the door cracked so that they do not feel completely cut off from you or isolated.

Be sure to set aside a good hour or at least 15 minute increments of break time for you to spend time with you little ones if you have them to care for, especially so for the toddlers and little kids who may find it hard to adjust to you needing your time to work. However, in the case of babies, it is next to impossible to ensure you can go a full hour or two without needing to break away from work, but if you create a good schedule for them eating, sleeping, playing, reading, etc. then you will find yourself able to get more done, even with lots of breaks in-between.

Summary

Hope this article provides you with some new tips on how to manage working from home, as well as, how to make working from home work. If you are in search of ways to work from home and how to get started, then click here. We encourage you to leave a comment below and let us know what has worked for you and if you find this article helpful in making your day to day work week go smoother. Although there are many distractions that can stagnate our ability to work from home, there are many ways of minimizing distractions and make every day as productive as possible working from home. #workfromhome