The first and most important step a person who intends to work from home successfully should take is have set time blocks that will act as a guide for what times to work. This helps to enhance discipline. Many people who work from home tend to work rather erratically with no set time. This can disrupt good work flow. Having set working times is good for maintaining an optimal personal balance. There should be time set aside for work, time to spend with family and of course time to kick back and relax.
The home environment is naturally filled with a lot more distractions than the conventional workplace. After all, it is not designed for work in the first place. It is therefore important for the person who is working from home to eliminate as many potential distractions as possible. If you are a soaps fanatic and just can’t concentrate on your work for ten minutes without first turning to the telly to stare, then by all means work in a room with no TV. Some jobs that require high levels of concentration are best done at times when the house is quiet such as when other family members are asleep or away from the house.
I know many people will not like to hear this but you are not free to work in your pyjamas just because you are your own boss and nobody is looking. It is important that you dress up for work. OK, maybe not the way you used to when you used to work on a 9-5 job but dress up decently anyway. The reason why it is strongly recommended that a person should dress for work when working from home is that doing so puts the person in a working mindset and this can improve your concentration and focus.
Many people who have just started working from home tend to go overboard and become hermits dedicating all their time to their work while neglecting their relationships. It is very important that a person takes time out to meet friends and maybe have a barbecue or a drink. Very few people can maintain a healthy personality and disposition without having good relationships with friends. Have the discipline to sometimes say no to work and meet friends.
People often mistakenly think that a person who is working from home has got plenty of time in his hands and can be the guy to do them favors and run errands for other family members. It is a good idea to let people know that just because you are working from home, you are not free to run petty errands for them. Ok maybe you can do a few chores that won’t eat up your time too much but anything more needs to be planned for beforehand. Friends should also be made to understand that you are not always free to go out with them and any outings need to be carefully planned for.
