Working from home, as you probably know, takes some planning. Most probably when you first start out working hours and personal hours get jumbled up together and you are not productive in either area!
If you work from home it is most important to make yourself a plan of how you are going to do this successfully.
1. The most important thing is to have an area which is your working space. If you are fortunate enough to have a spare room you can set up as an office so much the better. For many this is not possible, so make sure that your ‘work’ area is defined somehow. Maybe a screen or a partition around this area would help to let others know that this is your office and not to disturb you.
2. Let friends and family know that working from home means you are ‘working’ and that you can’t just pop out for a coffee or they come over for a chat. Explain that if you were out at work you couldn’t just pop out for a coffee or take a look round the shops or drop in at the pub for a pint! Use that same working ethos when working from home.
3. If finances permit try to get a business phone so that when working hours are over you can switch that phone to voicemail and when you get back to work you can pick up the messages and deal with them. If most of your work is done on the internet then make sure that the computer you use is just for your use and not for the rest of the family.
4. Plan a work schedule. Do you work best in the morning or are you a night owl and do your best work at night, whichever part of the day suits you best then they are your working hours. Obviously this isn’t set in stone and the best thing about working from home is that you can change your working hours around.
5. Make a To Do List in the mornings or the evening before of what you want to achieve that day. Once you have completed your list then that is the time to empty the dishwasher, mow the lawn or whatever. Be disciplined in your business keep your schedule and you can combine a home business and a personal life easily.
To summarise:
• Set up your working space – let everyone know that is your office.
• Let friends and family know that you are working from 9 am to ?? am and you will give them a call or whatever after that time.
• Get a business phone or make sure you have a computer solely for your use.
• Plan a work schedule and stick to it.
• Make a To Do List that you complete each day.
Follow these ideas and you may find that life becomes less stressful!
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