Since I started working from home full time about 3 years ago, my lifestyle has undergone some pretty significant adjustments. Finally, my time is my own - I can make my own schedule, and carve out time in the day to fit in all of the personal and work responsibilities I have. Most days, I feel like I'm accomplishing more and doing most of it in less time than it used to take me when I worked according to someone else's schedule. It's fantastic!
But, like all home-based workers, I still struggle with finding and maintaining my focus at times. We all know the typical advice for staying focused when working from home - things like minimizing distractions like the TV, Twitter and Facebook, and separating your office from the rest of your house are helpful in making sure that when we're working at home, we're not hardly working. But there are a few other things that I've found exceptionally helpful in becoming a more effective home-based worker.
Find Your Best Time
We all have it. The time of day when we are at our best. Some people are morning people. They are like the army - getting more done between 5 AM and 9 AM than most people do all day. I fall into that category. Sometimes I'll put in a good 3 or 4 hours before the phone starts ringing and the email starts chiming. On days like this, I find that I'm generally in less of a hurry for the rest of the day, because I got some of the major tasks of the day out of the way before chaos ensued.
Others might find that they have the same results when working from 2 PM to 6 PM, or 9 PM to 1 AM. Find your magic hours each day, and try your best to work during those times. You'll find when you work in your best time, you can often get twice as much done in half the time. And that is a pretty good place to be!
Be Comfortable
One of the things I love best about being home-based is that I can work comfortably. That means, I can wear comfortable clothing, sit in a comfortable chair, and take my breaks in comfortable spots too - whether by a sunny window, lounging in the back yard with the dog, or lying down on my bed for a quick power nap.
Take advantage of the comforts of your own home. Comfort equals less stress, and less stress equals a much more positive working experience.
Put Some Processes in Place
When you work at home, it can be easy for seemingly small things to pile up and eventually get out of control. Without the standard office processes and procedures that we have when working in an office environment, it's easy to let things slip. Company policies to keep files neatly tucked inside cabinets, or business processes that include logging and filing incoming mail and creating naming conventions for electronic files exist for a reason - because they help businesses to run more smoothly. If your in-basket is overflowing with last month's receipts, and you are spending hours a day looking for misplaced documents, then you aren't running your shop efficiently.
By coming up with a few in-house business processes, you can ensure that the little things, like filing and tracking, don't suddenly become big problems.
There you have it - just a few simple ways you can help to ensure that the time you're spending at home working is just as rewarding and satisfying as the time you're spending at home living.
Photo Credit: Citrix Online
