5 Tips to Successfully Work From Home
1. Set a routine
If working from home will be an everyday thing, this is an essential step to success. Just like a
structured day in an office environment, learn to structure your day similarly at home. Set
hours for yourself and schedule out tasks so that you have direction throughout the day. Make
the schedule and stick to it daily. Make sure to include time for lunch and also include time for
breaks to refresh and recharge.
2. Separate work from home
One of the most challenging parts about working at home is separating your work-life from
your home life. To avoid having an imbalance between the two, stick to the hours you have set
for yourself and when you’re outside those hours, disconnect from work, whether that means
turning off the computer, putting away your designs, or turning off your phone. Creating a
separate space to work in, like a home office, can significantly increase your productivity. Just
because you work from home does not mean that work is your entire life.
3. Get out of the house
So you don’t work in a corporate office, that doesn’t mean that you’re stuck in one place. On
days where you feel stir-crazy or unmotivated, switch venues and check out a coffee shop or set
up your office in a library study room for the day. There are also collaborative working spaces
such as CoCo. Working at another location can prevent you from having an unproductive day
and feeling antsy in your house. Even if it’s for an hour or so, venturing out of the house can
help you regain your focus in a new setting.
4. Stay connected
Working at home can feel lonely and isolated. To avoid feeling disconnected and bored,
schedule coffee meetings and lunch dates and regularly meet with clients outside of your
home. Even heading to a coffee shop can prevent you from feeling disconnected from the
working world.
5. Recognize distractions
Working at home will usually provide more distractions than an office environment. From kids
to phone calls, your day can get interrupted more often than you’d like. It can be easy to get
frustrated that your day isn’t going as planned in these moments. Recognize the distraction and
take the time you need to regroup and get back to work. Going back and forth from life to work
over and over can become exhausting and dampen the quality of your work.