It’s Monday yet again.. and many of us struggling from the joys of the weekend get up, mostly likely after the 8th time pressing the snooze button, shower, grab a quick snack and stumble often one eye open to work outside of the home. Then there are those of us that call our home our office. Raise your hand if this applies. Okay put your hand down because you are most likely alone in your home/office wondering why you are actually raising your hand. Me included.
Moving on.. or jumping back into the subject at hand.. I get a lot of questions about working from home. How I like it? If I get anything done?
I have to say that when I first started working from home it was a huge struggle. Believe you me, the about of distractions at home will entice you to get absolutely no work done. With that said and after a really really long time of allowing the distractions of home to actually distract me I decided to adhere to some rules.. (some of these rules with the help of a really good Oprah episode).. One distraction that actually helped.
So here they are..
Now keep in mind these are foundation rules and you can build around them to meet your needs.
1. LEAVE YOUR BEDROOM. When I started out I would wake up and immediately attempt to handle stuff from my bed. Now listen carefully.. I actually do this now some days.. but this is because I am super seasoned in the art of working from home. If you are a newbie this first rule is incredibly important.
2. SET UP A DESIGNATED WORK SPACE. I
actually have a room in my place that is an office.. but of you don’t
have that no worries. Set up a desk in your living room or even
section off a part of your dining table and designate it as your office
space. DON’T PUT AN OFFICE IN YOUR BEDROOM.. the comfy bed is way to
tempting.
3. HAVE A TASK LIST EVERYDAY. Create a list of tasks that you want to complete everyday. This is for when you do get distracted, which will happen no matter what.. you always have a list to get back to. Head in the clouds.. look at list.. it will snap you right back into place.
4. LEAVE YOUR HOME AT LEAST ONCE A DAY. I find this to be super important for a recharge. Pick a time to actually leave the house and interact with the world. Lunch is ideal.. but and afternoon coffee or smoothie run works just as well.
5. PLAY MUSIC. Now this may seem trivial, but a super quiet work space is actually super counter productive. Music stimulates your mind. Which stimulates your creativity. Most likely if you work from home you are creating something.
6. SEE YOUR FRIENDS FOR DINNER AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK. Now this has nothing to do with actually working. Working from home alone can be great but also can create a hermit who will never get out and have fun. Weekends are great.. but at least once during the week get out at night and chat about any and everything besides work with your significant other or your friends.
7. DON’T GET DOWN ON YOURSELF. This is the most important. Don’t get upset if you veer off one day. There is always the next day to get right back on track.
What are some of your most important rules for working from home?
