Working from home can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. The option to telecommute or work from home full-time can really enhance your mood and really give you some sort of work life balance.
Many top companies like Amazon and United Health Care allow their workers to work from home full or part-time.
It takes discipline to work from home.
I'm very grateful for my work from home opportunities over the years. I got see my youngest child grow up. I got enjoy every important moment on those days when he would come home from school. I’m really grateful for the special moments I got to witness. Moments that I wouldn’t have witnessed if I was working in an office full time. Life is very short and we must enjoy the little things while still attempting to provide for our families.
In this article I’m going to give you 5 tips that can help you succeed at working from home.
1. Be Organized
You have to be able to attend all meetings that come your way. You have to be able to meet deadlines. You have to be available when your manager makes a request of you. If you are running a home based business, you got be disciplined to get things done. This all come back to organization. The goal is produce highly professional work. This will gain the trust of your employer and if you are running a home based business you will see the positive results in your business.
2. Find a dedicated space to work
It’s must to find a dedicated work space in your home where everybody knows this is where you do your work. It don’t have to be a fancy office, it can be a desk and chair in the corner of the kids play room. Wherever you decide, make sure you treat it as a work space and it will allow you to do great work.
3. Exercise and stand up
We must exercise. We have to stay active when working from home. I notice my exercise habits can be horrible when working from home.
How do I change that?
I schedule my workout just like I schedule meetings. Exercise is a must. Please don’t cheat yourself of the ability we have to control our health through exercise.
Stand up! Recent studies have suggested that sitting for long periods of time can be just as dangerous as smoking. Standing desk can be expense. I purchased a standing desk
4. Work outside the house
Get out of the house sometimes and meet other people. Don’t let your social skills slip by working from home. I worked from home full-time from 2008 – 2014. My social skills slipped because I didn’t get out of the house enough.
Here are some suggestions:
- Go to a Bar/Restaurant like Buffalo Wild Wings. Perfect place to go on Friday afternoon when things are slow and you really don’t have any meetings. Also Bar/Restaurant is the perfect place to be on the first day of March Madness
- Use a coworking office space. These are popular in most big cities and a great place to network. Usually there is fee to use a coworking space.
- Starbucks or any coffee shop with Wi-Fi – Don’t really have to explain this. Grab your favorite coffee, tea, or latte and get to work.
5. Respond to Chats and Emails
Be responsive to Chats and Emails. Do not ignore. This is just like somebody walking over to your cubicle at work to get some information from you. Quickly responding to chats and emails will give your employer confidence that you can handle the work from home thing.
