Working Out of the Home
Tips for Working from Home Effectively
Elaine
1. Remember, at all times, that the work period is just that and work for the time you have allotted.
Inform anyone you live with that you are now at work and brook no interruptions (other than the house burning down, etc.). Insist that they observe this cardinal rule.
It also helps to get dressed and not ever work in your pajamas. I would also probably be a good thing to wash your face, shave, etc. These efforts set your brain in train and improve your efficiency.
2. How easily I could let myself be distracted. It requires noticing what distracts you the most and removing this factor/temptation.
3.I think it is most rewarding not to have to deal with all the personalities who inhabit large offices. I prefer to see people I want to see rather than co-workers.
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!
The Reality of Working from Home
by Heather
(Florida)
It's true, working from home can be a great advantage, especially for those who are starting their own business. It allows you to choose your own hours, never miss what's happening with your family and work in an environment that is comfortable and familiar.
However, it is these same benefits that can be obstacles for a home worker.
When I first started working at home I found that the amount of work I actually got done in a day was drastically reduced compared to what I was getting done at the office. The flexible hours I was so looking forward to gave me a bad habit of putting things off throughout the day (I kept saying I had time to do it later) and having my family around meant that I was constantly distracted. It didn't help, either, that the TV was always on, as it usually was in my house.
So I took the best parts of the office home with me:
Firstly, I set hours that were flexible for me, but gave me a definite time to get things done. I'd tell myself that I needed to start working around nine and get everything done before five - which gave me a goal to work towards throughout the day.
Also, I replaced the noisy TV with a nice radio station, which kept my family happily entertained without distracting me. Most importantly, I made sure that everyone else in the house understood that I was "at work" regardless of the fact that I was sitting on the couch. Once everyone else understood that this was important to me, the constant interruptions ceased.
The best advice I can give is to treat your home less like a home, and more like an office.
Good Time Management - Use Distractions as Rewards
by Kristy T.
(Memphis, TN)
I work from home so time management has to be a priority.
I enjoy working at home in my pajamas with my little dogs curled up on my lap while I work away. However, there are problems with working from home.
The distractions and temptations are almost endless. I am constantly fighting the desire to turn on the TV, play with my dogs, or go about taking care of household chores.
I have found a few tactics that help me focus.
First, I leave my cell phone turned off.
I make a rule that no matter what by a certain time I will force myself to open up my computer and start working.
My most successful time management tip is that I use my usual distractions as rewards. In other words, I make a deal with myself by saying that if I complete a task I will play with my dogs for 30 minutes. If I read an article, then I will allow myself to watch a 30 minute TV show.
Of course there are times when sitting down and reading an endless dull article seems impossible. In those cases, I will give myself a page limit and say if I read 10 pages I will get up and do the dishes...anything to give my eyes a break.
These time management tips are simple, but they have worked well for me.
Time Management Trick
by Sharon Zollenberg
(Port Jefferson, NY)
Often as I enter my studio I would struggle as to where to begin. I've learned a trick - I try to leave some project unfinished from the day prior, or some items to be primed that I wish to place in stock.
These items are set upon my work table and look inviting when I sit to work. From then on I can go forward for many hours.
Queen of Everything at Shari Sez Designs
Lisa's Response
That is a great time management strategy. I use the same (or a similar) strategy, and it works extremely well for me.
When it was time to work on my website, I used to have a really hard time getting started. Once I got going on an article or other project, I was fine, but I would always take forever to get focused at the beginning of a work session.
Then I remembered some advice I heard years ago. A former client of mine told me she was the only person in her office who could dive into her work immediately at the start of the day.
The secret to her quick focus?
At the end of each work day, before she packed up her work, she would make a note of the next task that had to be done for whatever she was working on, and she'd also make a quick to-do list for the next day.
Then next morning, she would simply refer to her notes and be able to pick up exactly where she left off on the previous day.
I started using this strategy with great success. It takes a matter of seconds to write down the next couple of tasks that need to be done, and it saves me an enormous amount of time the next time I start working.
With this strategy, I can quickly jump into my work at any time, which is important to me because I am balancing working from home with taking care of my two young kids, so I really need to be able to grab little bits of work time when I can.
Thanks for sharing such a helpful time management strategy.
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