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Making working from home, work for you
Making working from home, work for you
As a freelancer I spend the majority of my week working from home, which is both lovely and tricky in equal measures.
It’s a strange thing, working from home. On the plus side, it provides flexibility, comfort and the ability to get more work done but it can also be lonely, distracting, and too tempting to just put your feet up and relax. After taking the plunge to go freelance a few months ago, I think I’m finally beginning to get to grips with being a home worker.
But for those of you who haven’t, here are a few tips to make working from home seem a little more fun and a whole lot easier.
Pick a place and own it
If you work from home, you need a space that belongs to you and you only. Having a designated work area will make you feel and act more professional and will also allow you to ‘shut the door’ on your working life when you’ve finished for the day.
If you’re able to turn a whole room in your house into an office, then do it. If not, at least make sure you have a decent working area with a desk, drawers and shelves. Also, if you want to keep sane whilst working from home, don’t set up a workspace in a busy room like a kitchen or dining room. Try the spare room, garage, shed or conservatory, anywhere that offers a little bit of peace and quiet.
Get organised
Working from home requires a certain degree of organisation. So if you want to get things done, keep your desk tidy and make sure you always file everything away in its place. If you haven’t got decent files or organising tools then go and buy some…quick. Mountains of paperwork can appear overnight if you’re not careful and can take hours to sort. So save yourself the aggro and hold on to your sanity. Stay organised and tidy and keep a ‘no chaos’ zone.
Pimp up your desk
Most home workers spend a lot of time sat at a desk, so it makes sense to make your space as pretty, comfortable and inspiring as possible. Firstly, buy a decent desk chair. Secondly, surround yourself with beautiful, sentimental or motivational objects such as plants, photographs of loved ones or small ornaments. Pin up anything that inspires you or makes you smile, be it your kid’s drawing, an inspirational phrase or a picture of your next holiday destination. And finally, think about creating an ideas board – a great way to enhance creativity and motivation levels.
It’s ok to be selfish
A bold statement, but when you work from home, you really need to be selfish and put your professional needs first. People who don’t work from home don’t seem to appreciate that although you are at home, you are actually working. So if friends and family members pop by for a coffee or ring you up in the middle of the day for a leisurely chat, get tough and explain that you are working and will see or speak to them later.
If you live with people, be it a friend, husband or children, then it can become even more complicated so try and stick to a regular working routine. This way people should understand when to leave you alone. Keep the door shut, locked if need be or hang a sign on the door which says ‘do not disturb’. If this doesn’t work, consider going elsewhere to find peace and quiet such as a library or internet café.
Take a break
You may be at home but you are working, so make sure you take regular breaks and lunch hours, as you would in any ‘normal job’. Try and leave your desk every couple of hours and make sure you have a decent lunch. Both your work and your health will thank you for it. Oh, and don’t be tempted to do the dishes or tidy up either.
Shower and dress
Yes, you are expected to work in your pyjamas if you listen to envious friends and family members but would you ever go into an office dressed like that? It’s very easy to be tempted into just ‘slobbing it’ when you work from home, but please don’t. Get showered, get dressed, do your hair and even put some make-up on. You’ll feel miles better for it, act more professional and won’t frighten off the postman if he delivers you something nice.
Mix it up
Working from home is fantastic but don’t become ‘stuck indoors’. Make sure you leave the house at least a few times a week. Attend meetings, network with people or just go somewhere else to work for a few hours. Mixing things up will keep it interesting and remind you how lucky you are to have that flexibility.
Enjoy it!
If you don’t love working from home, do something about it. Working from home can be difficult, lonely and even boring at times, but it also offers independence and a flexibility that can’t be beaten, so enjoy it! Make the most of it and if at times you forget how lucky you are, remind yourself of the fact that getting stuck in rush hour traffic is no longer how your day begins.
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About the author
Name: Katie Portman
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Website: http://www.katieportman.com/
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