Tips for time management while working from home

by Patrick Phillips
(Roswell, NM USA)

I have some simple ideas about managing your time when working from home.

One, get an early start! If you have a family, an early start while everyone else is still in bed is a must! If you are like me I get my coffee and wake up, and then I am very alert, rested and ready to go! People usually work great when they are fresh and have zero distractions. If you plan and are up a couple hours before everyone else, you will see that you can get a lot done in those couple hours. It also takes away some anxiety about taking the kids to school and getting a late start on work. Start early and enjoy the time being a parent doing what parents do!

Second, work late as possible, but you still must get your rest for the early start! Yes, both can be done! This follows the same principle of "no distractions" and may allow you to get in more family time and still get your work done. You have to work the clock at both ends! I actually enjoy working later at night, it seems so quiet and peaceful!

Third, If you are going to put the first two ideas into play, then this is why you do it! You should try and work a bit and take some time for a break, work a bit and take time out, and so and so. Take time for picking up kids or running other errands. Do not get worked up over the time you're not working! This is why you work early and late....you will still have the time put into it. I have done this with great success! I take a lot of breaks and don't fret over the lost time. I am at peace with it because I know that I have a plan and a schedule that allows me to still enjoy life to the fullest! It is like having your cake and eating it too!

It's not about being lazy or wasting time, it's about having a life and not sacrificing everything in order to work from home.

A rigid work schedule does work for some, but I have known several that have had it backfire on them. They worry so much about every second that they end up going back to the office job. I am not saying to shorten the time you put in, I am saying manage it in a way the brings you peace and helps you to even be more productive! Work from home, but remember that your home is not a prison!