Last Updated on Apr 8, 2020 by James W
Working from home is something that millions of people do already, and millions more love the idea of doing it. The idea of cutting out the daily commute, annoying bosses and nosy coworkers seems like it is too good to be true. But working from home comes with its fair share of responsibilities that you should be aware of. After all, people aren’t going to be paying you to sit in front of the TV all day long! Take a closer look at this list of the top dos and don’ts of working from home so you have a better idea of what you should be doing and what you should be avoiding.
The Dos
Let’s start off with the dos. First of all, you will want to create an organised workspace where distractions are minimised. Many people dedicate a room to being a home office, so you will need to look at office desks, chairs, storage devices, electronics and decorative items. To-do lists, calendars and diaries can help to ensure that you are organised throughout the day. When you are creating your home office, try to make the most of natural light by putting your desk close to the window. Also, make sure that your computer is positioned at eyeline on your desk and your feet are comfortably on the floor when you are sitting there.
Set yourself some office hours so you have specific times that you should be working, and make sure you keep in communication with your coworkers or clients. Try not to make these too unusual or people will never be able to get hold of you! During the day, you should take breaks for lunch and exercise rather than being tethered to your desk the entire time. Also, you should create boundaries with your family so that they know that whenever the door of your office is closed, you are at work. Choose a secondary backup location, such as a library or coffee shop, so you always have somewhere else to go if your internet connection starts to cause you problems.
If you don’t have deadlines for specific projects, set realistic ones for yourself. People tend to work best when they are striving towards something, so you want to be ticking off projects on a regular basis so you are ready to move onto new ones.
The Don’ts
Though it may be tempting, you should avoid distractions like TV and social media while you are at work. The division between home life and work life is one of the most difficult ones to draw when you choose to work from home. Also, try to contain all your work in your office area, rather than bringing it out into other areas of the house. You could easily become distracted and end up losing it if you are not careful.
Don’t let your working day slip through your fingers, but also don’t go to the other extreme and end up working at all hours of the day or you will lost the advantages that you have built from working from home in the first place. Try to avoid doing household chores during the day, unless you are doing them during your designated break times.
An important one is that you don’t compromise on your passions. Be honest about how rewarding you are finding working from home, and if you find that your passions aren’t being fulfilled, don’t be afraid to move onto something new. Importantly, don’t allow yourself to get stuck in a rut. Even if you have a lack of projects on at one time, there are still plenty of other things that you can be doing that constitute working from home. You could be looking to build up your business, create your own website or simply improve some of the skills that you have already.
By following these dos and don’ts, you will put yourself in a much better position to enjoy a rewarding career working from home. Firstly, you need to have a space that allows you to be productive and you also need to draw the line between work and home life. You should set yourself office hours and make sure you keep in contact with others. But you also don’t want working from home to become stale and boring, as this is the exact opposite of what you are trying to achieve in the first place. Always look to advance your career or business at every opportunity you get.
