5 Best Tips for Working from Home

5 Tips for Working from Home

1. Set up a Home Office

Working from home can be distracting if you don’t have a dedicated workstation. A lot of remote workers are guilty of working from their bedroom or living room. Although that seems like a luxury as compared to being in the office, working from your bed or the couch is an unhealthy misuse of your “downtime” space.

Everyone needs a healthy work-life balance, which is even harder to achieve when you’re working remotely than when you’re in the office because you’re bringing the work home with you rather than leaving it behind at the end of the day.  

Working from your bed or the couch for hours a day can have negative effects on your posture because you’re not in a supportive chair and instead you are slouching and hunching over to look at your screen. You’ll also be less productive because your mind and body associate your bed with sleep and relaxation – two things that will not motivate you while working. Not only will this association hurt your productivity, but you also run the risk of associating your bed with work as time goes on, which could potentially hurt your sleep patterns as it will cause you to feel stressed and restless. 

If you create a good home office, you will be more likely to remain focused and feel as motivated as you would at the office. Your home office doesn’t need to be a dedicated room as this is unrealistic for some. A home office could be the corner of the living room, kitchen or den. As long as it is set up in an ergonomic way that makes it feel like an office to you, you will benefit. Separating your work and home life is key when working from home.

2. Make Sure You’re Comfortable in Your Home Office 

Along with simply setting up an office space, you need to make sure you’re comfortable in it as well. For starters, you should supply your office with an ergonomic office chair to keep your back aligned, a standing desk to change positions throughout the day or a laptop or desktop stand to help you avoid slouching.  Here’s a top seller from Amazon (afflink).

Additionally, be sure to take frequent breaks from your screen to prevent computer vision syndrome.  Multiple factors such as screen brightness, glare and overuse can lead to digital vision syndrome, which can harm your eyes and create new or worsening vision problems.

You can reduce this risk in a number of ways, including keeping a timer at your desk to remind yourself when you’ve been engaged with your screen for too long, using Night Shift mode on your devices and making sure your eye prescription is up-to-date. Many people develop headaches and loss of productivity if their prescription has expired, so making sure you have the correct eye prescription is of the utmost importance. If you are a contacts lens wearer, ensure your prescription is updated and purchase breathable and hydrating contact lenses to prevent dry eye and avoid long-term vision issues. Creating a comfortable office space is about more than just the decor. When planning for your home office, be sure to think about office supplies that you’ll be using daily and your health. 

3. Have a Set Schedule

It’s easy to get distracted while working from home and not having a plan will fuel your undermotivated fire. Just like you would in the office, design a set structure for your day. Setting up a specific schedule at the beginning of each day and a list of goals at the beginning of each week will allow you to be more productive. Your day-to-day tasks can always be rearranged, but having an idea of what you need to accomplish in a day’s work will motivate you and keep you on track. 

4. Maintain a Healthy Work-Life Balance

As previously mentioned, working from home invites distractions, however, it can also invite overworking. Having access to your work remotely is beneficial in some aspects but can cause you to feel like you need to work in your spare time as well. This can cause negative effects on your work and on your health. You could lose productivity because you aren’t giving yourself enough time to recuperate, experience severe daytime fatigue from lack of sleep and face some serious mental and physical health risks. This is where having a set schedule and time frame that you work in each day will benefit you. If you track your hours accurately and stay focused as you would in the office, you can avoid these negative risks and still enjoy your downtime and personal life.

5. Get Ready as if You’re Leaving for the Day

Although it is a luxury to stay home, you should still get up, shower and get dressed as if you were going into the office. Having a routine will give you structure and motivate you to be more productive throughout your day. Much like laying in bed or sitting on the couch all day, lounging around in your pajamas will decrease your motivation. This is not to say you can’t dress comfortably – there’s no need to put on a full suit just to stay home. However, you should make the effort to get dressed and look appropriate to motivate yourself and be prepared for any last-minute video meetings that could pop up. 

Being aware of your habits while working from home will help you be a better remote employee. It’s easy to get distracted or become a workaholic when you take your work home with you. If you create separation between your work life and home life, keep a good schedule and are aware of your capabilities, you can thrive in your remote workspace.

I hope these tips will help you stay productive while working from home.  If you want to stay updated on ways to make money from home, save, invest make sure you subscribe to our mailing list. Click here to subscribe.