Many people dream of being able to ditch spending their days in the office and being able to work from home on a regular basis.
Home working has become much more popular in recent times, with modern technology allowing an increasing number of people to work remotely.
Whether you are employed by someone else or running your own business, working from home certainly has plenty going for it.
However, there are a few issues you will need to address if you are to ensure that you remain productive in your new working environment.
Read on as we look at some of the ways to make sure that working from home is all you dreamed it would be.
Adhere to the ground rules
If your employer has made the decision to allow you to work from home, it is important to adhere to the ground rules they lay down.
For instance, if your company premises are closed due to the coronavirus outbreak make sure that you put in the same hours at home as you would in the workplace.
Being handed the opportunity to work from home should be treated as a privilege and is one that you would be well-advised not to abuse.
Stay in regular contact with your manager and always be available to liaise with your work colleagues during your normal working hours.
If your productivity dips when you work remotely it will soon be noticed and in a worse case scenario could even end up costing you your job.
Create a separate work space
One of the biggest mistakes that many home workers make is failing to establish clear boundaries between their personal life and work responsibilities.
If you’ve got the opportunity to work from home, make sure that you create a dedicated working area in order to separate the two elements.
It may be tempting to think that you can set yourself up on the dining room table or in the living room, but this is a recipe for disaster.
For people working remotely on a regular basis it is well worth considering converting an area of your home into a permanent office area.
This will help to create a distinct boundary between home and work life, thus helping to negate distractions from family members.
Don’t neglect exercise
Research has shown that fitting exercise into your daily routine plays an important part in maintaining your general health and wellbeing.
If you exercise regularly you are more likely to feel positive and your productivity will undoubtedly benefit as a result.
It is important to resist the temptation of spending an extra hour in bed, no matter how comfortable it might feel.
Getting yourself up and about early in the day gives you the platform to get stuck into your work sooner, setting up the possibility of finishing your tasks earlier.
The phrase ‘active body, healthy mind’ is a great mantra to live by and will help you make a success of working from home.
Take proper breaks
Another error that many people make when they work from home is failing to take proper breaks during the course of the day.
This is a particular pertinent point for anyone running their own business at home, as the ‘time is money’ ethos often takes precedence.
However, working from home affords you the opportunity to look after yourself properly so make sure you take advantage of this. It doesn’t mean you take frequent naps, but it pays to invest in getting the best-possible mattress for yourself so that your sleep is optimised, and if you’re not well, a quick nap is all the more effective.
Make time to eat breakfast and take a break at lunchtime. When the afternoon is over, don’t be tempted to keep working above and beyond the call of duty.
You are fully entitled to take breaks in a traditional workplace, so make sure you apply the same rules if you’re working at home.
Use planning and collaboration tools
Modern technology has changed the way many people work, freeing them from the constraints of being tied to a single workplace.
It has allowed for the development of some extremely useful tools that help to keep you organised and ensure you can collaborate with your co-workers.
Online planning tools such as Asana are great for keeping up-to-speed with your projects and help to maintain the productivity of teams.
Collaboration hubs like Slack are also an excellent resource for home workers, allowing you to easily stay in touch with your colleagues.
Installing these tools onto your various devices will help to make the transition from a traditional workplace to home working run much more smoothly.
Working from home in 2020 – the final word
Being able to work from home can be a wonderful thing, but it is important to ensure that you avoid the pitfalls that can turn the experience sour.
However, by following our handy tips you can ensure that being a home worker is everything you want it to be.
