This post may contain affiliate links. See affiliate disclosure here.
When it comes to working either from an office or home, we all have our personal preferences. Some agree to work in the office while others do their best in a quiet environment at home. So, working from home seems to be the most appropriate option for those people but you still need to be present and available during your work hours.
So how do you know if working from home is a good option for you and can you handle the isolation from your coworkers while still getting the job done? Below are a few good tips about the Do and Dont’s of working from home.
Start Your Day of Like Every Other Day
Waking at the same time, getting dressed, brushing your hair and washing your face can help you to get in the ideal mindset to your workday. It may be tempting to work on your pajamas but putting on pants and a shirt will tell your mind that it is time to operate instead of sitting on a couch and being lazy.
Make Proper Preparations of Your Work Area the Night Before
There is nothing less inspirational than a desk scattered with scribbled notes and documents. Sure, a few folks may work for this, but we PR mavens want some sanity in our own lives! Jotting down a quick to-do set for the following morning and tidying your desk the night ahead will help save time in the early hours, in addition to helping you quickly enter work-mode.
Some people like me maybe very lucky to have a prepared desk already. You can prepare for a desk and make up your working area in any tiny corner of your room. There you would be able to work properly with all your schedule planned. If you become comfortable with this, you might as well work on a full-time basis from home. It will be beneficial for the company and you.
Stay Available During Your Regular Work Hours
“Your accessibility to co-workers ought to be different when working remotely than it’d be if you’re in the workplace,” Barry Chignell writes in a post for CIPHR. To maintain the professionalism with the firm you’re working with, it is very necessary to be available during your business hours. Just like you have a settled office hour, you would need to have a proper business hour at your place too.
Do Carve Out a Lunch and Break Times For Yourself
Prepare for the meal the night before, so it is possible to pop something in your microwave, or only quickly blend ingredients for a great lunch. DON’T begin cooking a few three-course lunch meals just because you are craving it. This is just another time-sucking scenario. Unless it is something that you can quickly warm up, do not bother.
The purpose of a lunch break merely is that…a normal break from work. Depart from your desk for twenty-five minutes, enjoy your lunch and then catch up in your own Instagram feed. I receive a good deal of mid-day inspiration out of my feed from inspirational quotations to notions for customer campaigns, so lunch is the best time to refresh your head.
Do Not Get Distracted
Sure, it is simple enough to do a couple of chores during the day when you are working at home but be sure that you’re still putting on your hours. Whether you work in a brick-and-mortar building, neighborhood coffee shop or your private domain, it is your choice to control your disturbances.
The television, YouTube, social media, and food are all distractions that you don’t need while working. Try to keep these items off or stay away until the designated times to use such items or take a break. Being in your home can be very tempting to go in for snacks often and more than likely you will walk around less, so schedule those break times, snack times, and stretch times appropriately. Don’t let yourself go down the YouTube rabbit hole while munching on snacks… trust me!
Don’t Consider Working From Home a Vacation
When I first began working out of my home office, I made the mistake of telling my friends about my brand new flexible job. It can be difficult for people to comprehend what it requires to operate remotely, so occasionally they see you working out of the home as a break out of work–which could not be farther from the truth!
I always got calls from my friends looking to chat during work hours, lunch invitations, or even having my nieces visit that interrupted my job and distracted me. As much as it is awesome to do those things- while at work, its not so easy. So switch your notifications off and sign out from social networking and text your friends and family that you can’t chat when they call. Plan a time to do what you enjoy after work hours or during your lunch or break times. You don’t have to completely cut off your social life, but just remember that with remote work or working from home, comes the same responsibility as working in an office.
Do Not Let Your Office Presence Disappear
If you merely work from house part-time or now and then, make sure you keep your workplace existence. How can you do so? Check in with your supervisor in the early hours or send them a list of completed task by the close of the day. This will prove to them that you are hard at work- many managers are surprised to find their employees accomplish much more while working from home than being in the office.
Also, don’t be reluctant to reach out to your colleagues and stay in touch on projects. Make sure you allow the staff to know it’s possible also to choose conference calls and virtual meetings from your home to stay on top of projects and keep communication open.
Working at home is not for everybody, but if you’ve got the ideal mindset, it may be quite a rewarding experience. Whether your employer permits the occasional remote day or allows you to telecommute full time, ensure that you kept productive and engaged when working out of the workplace.
[…] jumping in and thinking that working from home is going to be all cupcakes and roses, you might want to ask yourself if you can handle the […]