For some, working from home is the ultimate goal because who doesn’t want to avoid rush hour traffic, office drama, and pants? But if you’ve never worked from home before, it can be more difficult than you imagine. Sure, there are definite perks to working from home, but you can also slip into some bad habits and not get any work done at all. Losing focus can damage your career and scar your bottom line, so what do you do?
Luckily, there are ways to combat the temptation of binge-watching Netflix or surfing the internet when you’re working from home. All it takes is a bit of adjustment and a plan.
Make a Routine
Although it’s easy to roll out of bed, grab your coffee, and plop in front of your computer, that will probably affect your productivity. You want yourself in a work mindset, so stick loosely to your pre-work routine when you had a job outside of the home.
For example, if your routine was to get up, take a shower, do your hair and makeup, and get dressed — do that. You can adjust some of those for home life, like maybe instead of full makeup, you apply a vegan makeup product like Lime Crime blush, mascara, and lip gloss. Also, instead of putting on a full suit, choose work clothes for home that you’re comfortable in, like yoga pants and a sleeveless shirt.
The key is to make a work routine that gets your mind ready to work while adjusting the specifics for your new location.
Create Your Space
If you work on a laptop, you might have a hard time resisting the couch or your bed for work, but those comfy places probably won’t add to your production. Instead, set up a workspace where you work each day like a desk, office, or dining room table. You want to choose somewhere that will limit distractions while you’re completing your workday.
Note: You will have interruptions, and that’s okay if you plan them into your workday. That way, those distractions won’t derail your whole work routine and production.
Set up your area like an office the best you can, with everything you need within arm’s reach. Similarly, set up your computer like an office too, by only pulling up apps and programs relevant to your work. Don’t pull up social media accounts or your email, unless you use those for work because those rabbit holes will steal hours from you if you’re not careful.
Save your socializing for scheduled breaks or when your workday is over.
Have Daily Goals
Before you start work for the day, choose your goals. Look at the tasks you have to accomplish and set them as goals, but be reasonable. Setting too many goals that are impossible to finish in a day can be discouraging.
Think about how much time you have in a day to work and look at the work you have. Then choose what you think you can complete in a day, even if you don’t make it. Use the results from your workday and the goals you reached to adjust your work goals going forward, tweaking as you go.
Assessing and adjusting regularly will help you get a better idea of how long it will take you to reach your goals until you discover your pace and stride at home.
Working From Home Is Possible
When you decide to work from home, there will be an adjustment period, but success is possible. Setting up a routine with breaks, carving out some workspace, and having daily goals are three key elements to make working from homework for you.
