Working at home has its perks and drawbacks. Sure, you don't have to wear high-heeled stilettos anymore or deal with annoying colleagues but it doesn't mean there won't be any more challenges or distractions you have to face.
Working at home may not be a walk in the park but if you understand the challenges and learn to deal with the distractions then working at home could be the best thing that will ever happen to you.
Learn to work efficiently given the available hours. It is likely that there will be distractions when you work at home. If you must stop what you're doing to take care of other matters then resolve the problem and then continue working afterwards. You don't need to force yourself to finish a project within 8 hours in the day time, like the other office drones. If you feel more productive working 4 hours in the morning and then 4 hours at night taking a break mid-day, then feel free to do so. If the only available time you can freely work at home without distractions is after noon until night time, then just make sure you get all phone calls done or other transactions with other businesses finished in the afternoon while offices are still open to receive calls or transactions. Sure, there will be many distractions when working at home but if you learn to work efficiently, then all the little distractions shouldn't affect your productivity. You can wash a load of laundry while entertaining phone calls. Writers can work at the wee hours of the morning while all the kids are still in bed and your home is still in a peaceful state.
Although you can learn working on a stop/ start fashion squeezing as many activities possible during hours that are totally free of distractions, it wouldn't hurt if you learned the values of scheduling and time management. Some distractions can be avoided if you plan your work week right. You can plan your work week or you can create a daily to-do list. Just like working in the office, make sure you set priorities and cross off tasks you have already completed. You can try to block off certain hours for playing with your kids or doing house chores. If you must attend meetings outside of your home, try to schedule other meetings on the same day and pick-up your laundry and do the groceries before you head home. This way, you don't need to stop working just so you can go out to do the said tasks. Try to answer non-urgent emails at the end of the day before you wind up the work day. Work on more difficult tasks during the hours that you are most productive.
The best tip for all workers, whether office-based employees or home-based workers, is to always keep your work area clean and organized. Make sure you have a dedicated space for important documents, a space for storing files, and an area for your supplies. Just because you are working at home does not mean you should leave your work things cluttered on the floor or the other areas of your home. Being organized will help you focus on the important things you must finish. It will help you find and update files and will eliminate instances of lost items or files. Your work desk doesn't always have to be sparkling clean but make sure to take a few minutes daily to organize and clear the clutter.
