There’s no doubt that working from home is incredibly rewarding.
We have autonomy over our working patterns and the creature comforts of home. We can relax in familiar surroundings and without the stress of a bustling office.
But these rewards are very hard won and it’s important this dream can soon become a nightmare if we don’t approach it maturely.
An office is set out to create an atmosphere of productivity and motivation. A modern home is meant for relaxation, comfort, and domesticity.
In order to make the best of home working, it is crucial to understand how to re-create a productive atmosphere of the office.
Here are a few tips on how to work from home online:
How to Work from Home Online Effectively
1. Organize
Before we can even begin working from home, a methodical approach should be adopted.
A mindset that lays importance on method will ensure clarity of thought when it comes to the work itself.
A good place to start is to question what you wish to achieve by working from home.
Whether you are working remotely or setting up your own business, understanding your goals is crucial.
You may have learned how to work from home online out of necessity, (health needs or childcare, for instance), so laying out these goals will help you establish boundaries later on.
A tried and tested method, unsurprisingly, is setting out detailed and comprehensive to-do lists.
It’s a good idea to give yourself deadlines on each of your tasks. Not just daily or weekly, but a rota of sorts throughout each working day.
Achieving each task will give you the motivation to continue on your process.
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2. Boundaries
One of the biggest challenges we face as home workers
Most people struggle with work/life balance, but this issue is particularly exacerbated for those who work from home online. Therefore, placing firm boundaries makes the difference between a hobby-room and a home office.
In establishing boundaries you affirm to yourself that you are at work each time you enter your office.
In the workplace, we dress professionally in order to enter into a productive mindset. There’s no reason that you shouldn’t adopt the same attitude for your home office – in doing so we signal our household our intention too.
As with an office in a traditional workplace, our home office should present an atmosphere of productivity.
Investing in a good desk, chair and work computer affirms to ourselves and others that it is a space to be taken seriously. Once you’re in, you’re at work and, if your household needs allow, you should close the door.
3. Routine
It is difficult to maintain a good working pattern without first addressing how you work. Our time is a resource that is always in limited supply and it’s very easy to fall into bad habits over a working day.
Take a tip from traditional office methods and establish a routine to ensure you keep on track with your tasks.
It’s important to be realistic when establishing a routine,
It’s tempting to try and wait for inspiration or motivation when working, but this can lead to an unproductive state of mind.
Understanding your personal rhythms when it comes to work is a hard process but will give you power over procrastination.
At first, you should try to keep fluid with your routine, making notes as you work through. Through these notes, you’ll find it easier to identify when you are working at your best and when you are experiencing difficulty.
Understanding your workflow patterns is key to optimizing your productivity.
Once you’ve established when your most productive times are you can build them into a realistic routine.
Approach your routine as would with opening times in a shop. This will not only create affirmations for you but enable you to manage
4. Distractions
There are numerous blogs, articles, and apps devoted to minimizing procrastination. But ultimately, blogs and articles can be ignored and apps can be uninstalled so you need to rely on yourself to avoid distractions.
There a few techniques which are useful to ensure that you avoid distraction.
The very first thing you should do is identify what distractions there are in your home. Make a list of everything that can possibly pull you away from your work and address how you will minimize their effects.
Working from home online has been made increasingly more difficult with the advent of fast-speed internet connection.
There are streaming services, music apps, and social media which, by their very nature, insist themselves upon your working life, especially when you use a computer in your work.
Whilst the anti-procrastination apps available are undoubtedly ingenious, it is all
Like games consoles and household chores, you need to compartmentalize your computer to ensure that it’s set up as a work computer rather than an entertainment system.
You might not be able to afford to have a separate computer for work and one for leisure, so you should utilize folders and internet options to your advantage.
If you have an instant messenger account, keep a colleague, friend or partner in touch so you have someone to answer to.
5. Breaks
The beauty of knowing how to work from home online is the agency it brings us, and this is wasted if we find ourselves stressed out in our own office.
This can lead to both burnout and stressful associations at home
It’s common knowledge that building breaks into our routine keeps us fresh and motivated.
There are a host of ideas on how breaks should be taken, and it’s worth taking a look through them. But in creating our routine we should also be aware of our personal thresholds for work.
Ultimately our breaks should be regular and useful. If you work from home for health or childcare reasons, you should let these take precedent otherwise your risk introducing stress back into your life.
So take time away from your work when you need it and return refreshed and energized.
About The Author
Samantha H. Cowart is a freelance writer and writes on a wide range of subjects. She specializes in optimizing websites and enjoys writing on cinema in her spare time.
