As the great Fifth Harmony once said, “You don’t gotta go to work, work, work, work, work, work. We can work from home.”
And unsurprisingly enough, it seems that more and more people are abiding by this motto and working from home. They’re trading in stiff office clothes for pajamas, curling up in bed with their laptops rather than sitting at a gloomy desk all day, and forgoing a long commute to get a few minutes of extra sleep. The prospect sounds really tempting to most. Who wouldn’t want to be in the comfort of their homes all day instead of going to their workplace? Everything you need would be right there and you won’t even have to move.
However, just like all things, working from home has it’s cons as well. Such as the fact that you’ll most likely be distracted unless you establish a way to keep your focus. Chances are you’ll end up working for longer hours than if you actually went to work. In addition, not only will you be all alone, but you’ll also be cooped up at home.
Due to these pros and cons, it’s important that people who are seriously considering working from home takes everything into account. This way they can figure out if this really is the best route for them.
For those who have decided to work from home, here are a few ways you can make sure you’re productive.
1. Find one spot that you will consistently sit down and do your work in.
It’s recommended that that spot isn’t your bed, but hey — if you feel productive there, then go for it. A good place would be on a flat surface desk where you have space for all your materials. Sunlight helps to keep you more awake, so something by a window is also great. Once you found your spot, create an ambience that will get your head in the game, such as a coffee shop mix on Spotify.
2. Only go on your social media accounts when you’re on a break, unless social media your job of course.
If you jump onto Facebook or Twitter in the middle of a task, your concentration will be all over the place. It’s super easy to think, oh, I have time so I can go check out who posted what on Instagram for five minutes. But that’s rarely ever the case because once you’re on your phone, your focus has been broken. This rule is clearly
3. Be sure to step outside of the house to refresh yourself.
Staying cooped up inside all day will start to depress you and make you go a bit stir crazy. A ten to fifteen minute walk would do the job.
4. Make sure you stay hydrated and eat enough while working.
It helps your focus since food energizes the body. Try healthy things, such as fruits and nuts, if you really want to go crazy. Coffee is good once a day, but water is just as good.
5. Set strict guidelines for yourself that you know will get you to focus more.
You are, more or less, your own supervisor when you are working from home, so you have to make sure you’re doing what you can to make sure your tasks are getting done. A planner or daily to-do lists would help because it’s a proven fact that people love finishing their tasks just for the satisfaction of ticking things off. This way you’re not putting anything off for the next day.
I have done both work from an office and work from home. While I prefer the former, I know several people who do work from home and are making it work. For those who don’t have jobs and are thinking of starting a business from home, these suggestions could apply to you as well. In fact, recent stats show that every year the percentage of people working from home are increasing by the year. Who knows? In ten years, we might all be doing it.
