7 Great tips for working from home . . .
Being a web worker myself, I firmly believe that working from home many times better than sitting in a cramped cubicle throughout the day and slogging out. Although it’s not without downsides but most would agree with me.
You would wonder to know that for the last few years working from home has really picked up. People from all specialities like web graphic designers, freelancers, internet marketers, salespeople have been convinced that much can be done from the comfort of their homes.
But if you are a new kid on the block and have just taken the plunge and decided to work from the comfort of your pyjamas then the initial struggle could be a bit tough. No! I don’t mean to discourage you and neither do I say that you can’t do it. But actually a complete change of lifestyle and the understanding of the fact that you are complete self paced boss of yourself could take some time to go down your brain. You shall face two main challenges as a web worker from home : a) pacing yourself and b) to discipline your own self and fight distractions. There are many more and I will deal with them one by one and tell you way to get over them.
However, for anyone who has just taken the plunge to web working from an office job, the initial days could be the toughest. There is a complete change of lifestyle and the realization of the fact that you are essentially your own boss and that nobody is cracking the whip to keep you moving could unleash more troubles and negatively affect a lot of things in your life including your health. In fact discipline and proper organization of work is a challenge which I think most of the web workers (or home workers) struggle with on a daily basis and hence I have decided to mention a few points which could probably help them to get over those issues.
Workplace organisation
It’s very important to designate a place or a room as your office and to give it the due importance. If necessary educate your family members about the importance of that room or space for you and let them not disturb you now and then while you are working. Also remember that it is very important to keep your home office clean and organized. This will help you concentrate and find motivation in your work. Specially if you are a graphic designer your creative juices will not flow if you are not sitting in a properly organized and clean work place.
Decide your hours of work
Imagine waking up to the sound of your alarm, the sound you hate the most on a weekday! Well you are saved from that if you are working from home. However it is seen that most people feel lazy and cant pace themselves when they don’t have a target to start their work at a particular time. Sometimes it so happens with people that they can never start their work the whole day and get involved in some kind of household chore. So you shall have to motivate yourself to hit your desk exactly at the time you have decided to. So you work when you want to work doesn’t matter day or night but once you have decided on the timing you have to maintain it, come what may.
Educate your family about the change in lifestyle
Every self motivated web worker working from home has to educate his or her family members about the importance of his or her work and working hours. This is not so much applicable for people who live alone. But most of us do not live alone and some even have kids at home. It is very important to make everyone at home understand the importance of your work especially kids and it should also be made clear that you should not be disturbed during your working hours. Since you are always at home does not mean that you are always free and available.
Convey a message to your friends too
After a few days your neighbours and friends will understand that you work from home but what they will not understand or what they will not seem to understand is that you ‘work’ from home! So it will so happen that a friend will drop by when you are least expecting him or maybe they shall give you a call and ask you out for some coffee or beer. Convey clearly to them that you are BUSY and that you are not available during your working hours. Even if they come knocking at the door be tactful and convey to them that you have work to do and that it is your working hour. They will slowly learn to take the hint and will not disturb you any further.
Prioritize your work
Prioritizing your work is absolutely necessary. If you don’t prioritize your work then you shall end up wasting your time in unnecessary activities and will engage in a lot of activities which will not help you make money. At the end of the day you have to keep in mind how much you earn working for the whole day. So you first decide what work you need to do and in what order you need to do them. Then do them one by one and go on ticking your to do list.
Distractions – liability or asset?
We are not saying that you need to remove all distractions or avoid all distractions. Distractions will be there and each distraction has a significance in its own. If you consider watching a movie stored in your hard drive in between work then let me tell you that watching a movie refreshes your mood and helps you perform better. It reduces your stress and makes you live longer and better. Say you are a logo designer and you love to watch a movie in between work. You might as well get a brilliant idea from a movie. If you are a copywriter then you might get brilliant inspirations. Remember tom hanks in forrest gump : “Shit happens !!” I hope I have been able to get my point across to you. You have to learn to manage your distractions and give maximum time to your work.
Don’t be stressed . . . . avoid burnouts !!!
The whole idea of working from home is to reduce stress, get more freedom and enjoying life. Stress is always greater in working from home. You will have more deadlines to meet than you would had you been on a normal 9 to 5 job. But if you are well disciplined and are able to pace yourself then I am sure you will emerge as a winner and enjoy life more than ever. That’s why you left your 9 to 5 isn’t it…
Helpful tips shared here. Thank you!
Freelancing can be good iif one can follow proper work regime to run business or work from the comfort of one’s home.