Working From Home: The Rules That Will Make You More Productive

As people realize they are able to work remotely and still carry on their usual jobs, and as employers realize that by allowing their employees to work from home they save money and contribute to employees’ mental health, the trend for homeworking is growing.

One of the positive ideas behind working from home is it will enable the employee to be more productive thanks to flexible working practices, and this is the case for many. However, for some, it is much harder to get into the mind space of being as productive at home as they would and could be in an office.

If this is the case for you, read on for some useful rules you can follow to make yourself a lot more productive.

Have a Routine and Go to Work

The biggest issue many people have with working from home is the lack of routine. Rather than get up at a certain time, leave the house at precisely the right hour, or catch a bus or train, all you need to do is get out of bed and start working. This can mean getting up early some days, sleeping in other days, occasionally skipping breakfast, or staying in pajamas the rest of the time.

If you can give yourself a routine and act as though you are going to work, you will be in the right mindset to be more productive. Set your alarm to get out of bed at a specific time and use the time between waking up and starting work to make breakfast, get washed and dressed, and start your day. You might even want to incorporate some exercise.

To make things even better, leave the house at the same time every day and then come back (you can take a walk around the block at this time), entering your ‘office’ ready for a day at work. At the end of the day, do the same thing. It’s a useful psychological trick to make you feel more productive.

Have a Dedicated Workspace

If you work from home and don’t have a dedicated workspace, you may not feel as though you are really working. It might feel as though you are just making do until you can get back to an office, for example. However, if working from home is your permanent working arrangement, you are definitely going to need a dedicated workspace. If you don’t arrange something, you will always feel out of place and less comfortable (and therefore less productive) than you should.

There are all kinds of options you can work with including a spare bedroom, creating a quiet corner in a larger room, or even having truss buildings installed to work in so that you are away from the home itself. See what works for you and what your budget will allow for and you’ll be surprized at what a difference having your own office or even your own desk will make.

Keep in Touch

Working from home doesn’t mean you have to work alone. If you would normally work in a team, you can still do this thanks to technology such as video calling, conference calling, and lots of different online management tools.

Even if you would normally work alone but with colleagues around to talk to, you can still stay in touch with them — and you should. Keep the communication channels open just as you would in an outside office. If you need some quiet time to get work done, you can always shut these channels down temporarily.