Sure, most people say “It’d be great to work from home,” and for the most part it is. Be your own boss, dress casual, avoid traffic. But working from home has it’s challenges. Here are 5 tips on working from home.
1) Separate work from home.
Have a home office. This can be challenging depending on your situation. Maybe you’re a college student, a single parent, or you’re living with your parents and you don’t have your own space. No matter the situation having your own space to work, think and create is imperative and highly recommended. When I started my business, my work space was in a small basement with my bedroom, makeshift living room and an electric drum set. When I had an office of my own, I doubled my income. Coincidence? I think not…So bide your time and do what you have to to make a home office.
2) Set work hours.
Some people think working from home looks something like this: You work less hours, take as many breaks as you want, go for a stroll around the block, etc., but many people don’t realize that when you work from home, it feels like you’re always on the clock. Unless your office is dislocated from your house/apartment/trailer (no judging), it can be VERY hard to mentally separate your self from work and home. Setting work hours is a great way to mentally shift from ON to OFF. Depending on your schedule, meetings and deadlines, if you can choose a standard time to stop working, it does wonders for the ole noodle.
3) Wear work clothes.
Loose the jammies! When you get dressed for a job, you change your mindset. You show that you’re serious about doing a task. It can be very easy to get lax about what you wear when working from home, but having a routine and changing your outfit can make a big difference to your physique when no one else is around. I’m not saying put on the freshest suite in the closet, but throw some jeans on, maybe a nice shirt and at least do something with that bed head. It makes a big difference when you feel better about yourself.
4) GET UP ON TIME!
You’re not talking to a morning person here. I’d love to say I get up at the crack of dawn ready to take on the day, but when I wake up, I’m generally confused and am known to be a completely different person. This is an area that took me a long time to work on. I’m still working on it. When you don’t have a boss or a place of work to be at, it can be extremely easy to just lay in for an extra hour or so. But I’ve found that if I do that, or hit the snooze button 3,025 times, I’m often more groggy and angry at myself the rest of the day for sleeping in. That affects my mood, creativity and productivity. Do what you have to. Set multiple alarms or set one across the room so you have to get up. I promise it’ll be worth it in the long run.
5) Get the heck off Facebook.
This really applies to the entire worldwide work force. But it’s easier when you’re at home to nonchalantly scroll down your facebook feed when nobody is watching and there aren’t any regulations or internet filters. I’m just going to say it – Facebook is a dangerous time waster and productivity killer if you can’t control yourself. I understand many people use facebook for business, so do I. Social media, referrals, leads, etc. But let’s get real…what’s the percentage between work/play time on facebook? Yeah – that’s what I thought. I’m not saying delete your account, or even saying that jumping on FB during the day to break up time or see what’s going on is bad, but do it in moderation. You’ll gain a better attention span, stay more productive and be able to better focus on your work.
So there are 5 tips on working from home. There are many that I could put down, but these are 5 biggies. I wish somebody would’ve stressed these to me when I started. Cheers!
