Congratulations, you've landed that dream job. What's more, it allows you to work from home whenever you'd like to. No more spending hours stuck in traffic, no more dealing with nosy co-workers and annoying bosses. Perfect, right?
Depends.
While the idea of working from home sounds quite perfect, if you're not too careful, you could end up shirking from home, instead. It's easy to fall into a routine of putting off tasks while snoozing on the couch or catching up with what's on the tube. On the other hand, if you're a workaholic, you might find yourself still slaving away at 11 p.m. while the rest of the household has retired for the day.
In reality, your productivity when you work from home depends on how well you manage time and external distractions. Keeping these tips in mind could help you stay focused and keep track of time as you work from home:
Resist the temptation of the couch/bean bag. Yes, while it is rather tempting to curl up on the bean bag with the laptop and get to work, having a workspace that closely resembles your office space works best. Try and have a corner of your house dedicated to work, preferably away from distractions like the TV, the phone and boisterous neighbours. You can always switch to your couch and put up your feet during your coffee break, or unwind at the end of the day.
Facebook does not constitute work. In this age of Twitter and Facebook, the television and soap-salesmen aren't the only distractions you need to watch out for at home. Without restrictions or bandwidth constraints at home, the Internet can be a black-hole of your time. There's a reason it's called the World Wide Web – it doesn't take much to lose yourself in it. Unless you really need to use the Internet for work, turn it off. Also, treat phone-calls the way you would treat them at work. Keep personal phone-calls short, or attend to them during breaks, barring emergencies.
Brush your teeth, get out of those pajamas. Elementary, my dear Watson? Maybe, but sometimes, it's surprisingly easy to neglect basic grooming in your excitement to start work on a new story. Or simply because you can. Unless it was due last week, there's no reason for you to start working the minute you jump out of bed. Make sure you take out time to wash up and eat breakfast before you get down to work.
Be accessible to your boss and colleagues. You're not at work, but you'll still need to be available to your team, either on the phone or through emails and instant messenger. Even if you cherish the quiet, do not go offline and put your phone on silent for long hours while work. If your boss tries to reach you, you might just come off as a slacker or being indifferent even though you're blissfully immersed in work.
Fight the temptation to postpone or take on more. Make sure you finish that task you began. On the other hand, fight the temptation to work for one more extra hour, just to get tomorrow's task out of the way. Both are downward spirals and could leave you dissatisfied or overworked and frustrated at the end of the day.
Breathe. Get some fresh air. Step out for a brisk walk after lunch. Take breaks. Yes, these are crucial too. Working from home does not mean you stay glued to the computer from 9 to 6. Take a coffee break and lunch break the way you normally do at work. Take a couple of minutes to call a friend or your spouse during a break. Some human interaction helps break monotony, or you might just find yourself speaking to your laptop screen by the evening!
Not a good time for that dental appointment. Steer clear from temptation to run long-pending errands, or catch up with friends. Save those for the evenings. Don't let friends bully you into standing at queues to book movie tickets either – you really ought to be working at home.
Hang that 'Do not disturb' sign. If people know that you're working from home, let them know that you wouldn't want to be disturbed. This way you can focus on getting your work done instead of dealing with surprise visitors. If you have guests at home from out of town, try not to work from home during that period. Instead, work from your office and take a couple of days off to spend time with your guests. Or shut yourself in a room during the day as you work, taking only occasional breaks. This way you won't feel guilty about neglecting your work or your guests at home. Win-win.
Stop. Assess. Go. Stop what you're doing every once in a while and take stock of how the day is going. Sure, you're not wasting time in boring meetings, but are you ensuring that you're using your time efficiently? Are you on track to complete your tasks for the day? When you're working from home, you're accountable mainly to yourself. So be careful to avoid slip-ups. To-do lists help keep you focussed.
Nine-to-five means nine-to-five. Try and stick to your regular office schedule as far as possible. It's easy to fall into the trap of putting in longer hours than you're used to at your office while at home. Working from home does not mean you're available until 10 p.m. Use the time you save on commuting for a hobby or to get some exercise. Spend that time with your family. At the end of your designated work day or once you've completed your tasks for the day, shut down your machine and get out. Your day at work is done. Time for play.
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Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in July, 2011. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.
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—About our writer:
Shubhashree Sangameswaran likes to call herself a reformed software engineer who saw the light before it was too late. After five years in the industry, she decided she wanted to do something a bit more creative. Writing has always been a love, and she was lucky enough to get a break in an advertising agency where she learnt the ropes of writing good copy under someone she considers the best boss ever. After that she went on to briefly work with a company publishing memoirs and this experience taught her about writing full-length books. She is open to taking up content writing assignments, features and writing personal stories. While she is not writing, she enjoys taking photographs, sketching and drinking endless cups of masala chai.
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