There’s much to be said for working remotely. I often do it myself, actually: Rather than dressing up, packing my briefcase, and making a commute to the office, I’ll simply sign into Skype and settle in for a day of working at my home office.
It’s nice, but not without its challenges: How do you separate your work and home life? And how do you stay productive outside the walls of a traditional office?
These are questions that more and more employees and leaders are asking, as digital communication and collaboration technologies make it more and more feasible to work from a home office.
If you’re trying to put in more hours at the home office, but need a little guidance in staying on top of your to-do list, let me offer some quick tips.
Have the right equipment. If you’re going to be working from home, it’s important to invest in a computer that’s just as robust and as fast as the one you have at the office. Don’t let a slow, laggy machine hamper your productivity.
Develop some ways to stay active. Working from home can make you feel a little stir-crazy sometimes, so make a special effort to get up and get moving. A treadmill desk is nice, but a trip to the gym or a stroll around the neighborhood can also work fine.
Keep your work and home separate. You need a clearly-defined office space, a place where you only do work; and, you need to resist the temptation to bring your laptop into the bedroom or to answer work e-mails during what’s supposed to be family time. Boundaries are key!
Keep regular work hours. Make sure your family members and friends know that, just because you’re working from home, you still have work to do, and are not free to socialize or to run errands during that part of the day.
Have an open door/close door rule. One way to keep distractions at bay is to let people in your family know that, when the office door is closed, you’re not to be disturbed. Just as important: Leave the door open sometimes so your kids or your spouse can come say hey, leave you notes, or simply see what you’re doing in your work life.
Schedule blocks of time for e-mail and social media. When you work from home, these distractions can be pervasive—and the best way to deal with them is to simply put them in their place, blocking out a few minutes in the morning and/or the afternoon to address them.
Working from a home office doesn’t have to mean a sacrifice in productivity—but you’ve got to be intentional. You’ve got to safeguard your time and your space!