5 Tips for Working from a Home Office
Simple Ways to Make Home-Based Businesses More Productive
Feb 23, 2009
Many people are scared by the idea of working from home and the temptations of distractions, but self-discipline and time budgeting are the keys to a successful home office life.
1. Create a Work Space
Whether it’s a workshop or a computer station, a dedicated workspace is a must. Working at the dining room table or in the sunroom with a laptop is great in short bits, but you’ll find yourself more productive being at a workspace with calendars, phone books and reference material handy. It’s also good for distinguishing working (time at your desk) from not working (eating at the dining room table, reading in the sunroom on a break, e.g.).
2. Establish a Routine
Eating breakfast, showering and dressing creates a start to the day and gives your work – and yourself - the respect it deserves. When you don’t have to travel to an office, it’s easy to drift around the house tending to chores. Before you know it, you’ve lost crucial work hours and you’ll feel pangs of guilt. Going to the gym can be a great way to kickstart a day. Set start and finish times and meal breaks.
3. Eat Well
Not having to pack a lunch every day or rely on restaurant food will save time and money but it doesn’t always result in better eating habits by home workers. But work-from-home types often find they don’t eat well and often find themselves grabbing snacks from the fridge or cupboards and downing a quick bite over the kitchen sink. And besides, no sandwich tastes good when eaten over a computer keyboard. It’s not a bad idea to prepare lunches or leftovers so that a proper lunch break can be enjoyed away from the workspace. Small snacks (fruit and nuts or cheese and crackers) can be kept nearby so work isn’t disrupted, but don’t think meals will magically appear in the fridge just because you work from home. Preparation and planning is still necessary. You just won’t need to stock up on brown bags.
4. Balance Flexibility and Productivity
Shopping and errands are much more pleasant during weekdays than on a Saturday morning. But will you replace those mid-week work hours away from your desk by working evenings and weekends? The answer should be yes if you are taking yourself seriously. Enjoy the perks by taking an hour in the garden if it will feed your soul – as long as you make up that hour when the sun goes down. Take advantage of a flexible schedule but be sure you don’t let work slide.
5. Be Your Own Best Boss
Working too hard in a home office happens easily. Not taking a lunch break, working late into the evening and checking emails on weekends can create 60-hour work weeks. Don’t forget to be your own best boss: work hard, put in respectable hours to get the job done, and reward yourself when a project is finished. Take yourself out to lunch once in a while. Being your own worst boss will leave you overworked and unhappy.
If a proper work/life balance is maintained, working from home affords wonderful opportunities. Enjoy that you can stop to smell the roses, but just be sure to meet your goals and deadlines.
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