The concept of working from home is appealing to many people, and often images come to mind of working in your pyjamas, having nobody to boss you around, and organizing things the way you please. Whilst there are indeed many advantages to working from home, it’s important to understand that it’s still work, and that you need to be productive.
Working from home does present some challenges at times, especially in the beginning whilst you’re still searching for a routine that works best for you. You’ll need to know how to plan, set goals, track your time, avoid distractions, and take note of progress. In other words, you’ll need to create your own office. Here are the most crucial challenges of working at home – and how to fix them.
Making a schedule
One of the greatest advantages of working from home is that you feel like you can make your own schedule – and that is indeed true. However, making a schedule is very important, and having the discipline to stick with it is equally essential. Set your business days and business hours, and make sure you stick to them.
Set your goals
Goals are important because they will become a measuring stick of your performance. Set your goals when it comes to generated income, and set your goals when it comes to the number of tasks completed. If you don’t accomplish them, ask yourself why, and what you can learn to become more efficient. To make it easier to achieve goals, you can always make use of free time management apps.
Dress
It would be silly to sit at home in a suit and tie or business dress – but it’s always better to dress up nevertheless. Working in pyjamas may seem like a perk but it’s not effective and may make you lazy, as pyjamas are associated with sleep.
Administration
It’s a burden, but it’s still something that needs to be done and done well, so make sure to set some time aside for administration.
Stay connected
Just because you are working from home doesn’t mean that all your tasks need to be performed in your home office. Go to trade shows, conventions, and get out to learn and stay connected once in a while.
Last, but certainly not least, learn how to say no to distractions – and there can be plenty if you stay at home. Stay professional at all times, and understand that as you start working from home, your job description has expanded and you are taking on the roles of management and administration as well. If you’re new to it, you’ll find it takes a while to become truly productive; there’s a learning curve. However, once you set goals and stick with a productive routine, there’s no limit to what can be accomplished.
