How to Work from Home Successfully

Many people have found themselves newly planted in the work at home world this year. Furthermore, it may be a new permanent reality for many. Working at home sounds great and is great; however, it presents its own set of challenges. Additionally, not everyone likes it. Many people need the structure of an office and traditional work environment. My husband and I both work from home and we love it. It suits us and our life. We gets loads done, and frequently work well into the evening, but we also have lots of flexibility which allows us more personal freedom. Other than the obvious of requirement of being highly self-disciplined what are some ways to make working at home go smoothly? When I sat down and wrote my list and then did some research I found that my list looked liked many for working from home successfully.

The trick is to simulate your work environment at home to minimize distractions. You must work harder to imagine your office in your home and act the part. Our role at work and our role in the home are entirely different and it is important early on to distinguish between the two. This mental shift can be challenging. Below are ways to make this transition successful.

How to work from Home Successfully

Have an area designated for work. Isolate if possible, but obviously this is not realistic for many. Do your best to create an official work space that you routinely go to to reinforce to others that you are in your “office”. Try to have natural, mood-boosting daylight and green plants in your space.

Get dressed for the day. This helps a lot in the motivation department. Hanging out in your jammies and being all relaxed is not going to help the high-powered worker mentality. Shower and wake up. Dress like you would for work. These are the mental tricks that help and really do work.

Have a routine. This may be the most important tip for working from home. A routine is essential to staying on track rather than floating around without direction. Reuters recommends keeping your morning routine the same to avoid the weakening of motivation.

Limit Distractions. Carolyn Forte, the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute recommends not multitasking. She points out these are not things you normally do at work. Other distractions include social media (big surprise) and other technology.

Take breaks. Because you don’t want burnout either. Go for a walk and air out. Get some Vitamin D and rejuvenate your mind. Fresh eyes and spirit will help you work better

Communicate. It is so easy to feel isolated when working at home. It is critical to not do this. Avoid this trap by staying in touch with your colleagues to help stay fresh and relevant. Communicate with your family to help reinforce the bigger picture- especially if everyone is at home. Forbes suggests “overcommunicating with loved ones” because of the need to lean heavily on each other for cooperation and support. Find out what is and isn’t working. This is also important if spouses are working together at home. My husband and I frequently communicate and let each other know what we are doing for the day and when we can’t be disturbed. And then there is not vacuuming during your kid’s zoom college class…

sources used

www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2020/10/04/5-tips-to-combat-work-from-home-burnout/#3f9703637dfe

www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/career/a31436581/working-from-home-tips/

optinmonster.com/work-from-home-tips/

www.thomsonreuters.com/en/careers/careers-blog/tips-for-effectively-working-from-home.html