Schedule and take advantage of breaks. Rather than allowing yourself to be distracted by the dog, the laundry, or the kids, plan breaks in your workday and take the full break time allotted. Plan a ten-minute break at the end of each hour to play with the dog and kids and fold laundry, and take a complete hour for lunch AWAY from your desk or computer.
Prepare for your workday as if you won’t be home. Many people who work from home suffer from feeling like they are always at work. One way to combat this tendency is to act like you’re working at the office. Get up and dress for work as you normally would, make your lunch as if you can’t just walk into the kitchen and grab something from the fridge, and plan what you’ll be doing in the office just as you would normally.
Set rules for others in your home. Communicate clearly to those you live with about your expectations and needs. It can be helpful to set up a write board on your office door or even on the refrigerator that states your work hours and what the rules are during those hours.
Create the right background. Most of us don’t work in a quiet place without other people, so working in your quiet apartment with no coworkers can be a shock and make it hard to focus and stay productive. Put on the TV or some music to create some background noise while you work.
Make your workspace “off-limits” when you aren’t working. Try not to eat at your desk or visit the office just before bed. When work time is over for the day, put a sheet over your desk or close the door to your office to help you separate “work” from “home” and allow you to rest your mind.
Working from home can save you time and make you more productive as long as you know how to successfully set and maintain boundaries. Give yourself time to figure out what works for you, and do what you can to recreate your work environment and routine. You may be surprised by how much you can actually enjoy working where you live!
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