The goal of many people is to be able to work from home and not go into an office ever again. This offers an unparalleled freedom to work from nearly anywhere in the world. Keeping this privilege when given the opportunity has everything to do with productivity as well as communication. An employee that is extremely productive working at home will not give management any reason to bring them back in the office. The following are tips that will help you avoid the trap of getting less work done at home than you would have at the office.
Create A Great Working Environment
Getting a chair with the best shoulder massage capabilities can make your office a place where you actually want to go daily. Sitting in a traditional chair for long periods can lead to neck and back pain. For those professionals that do not think they need an office try it out and see if you get more done. The distractions are plentiful when working from home and this multiplies when you have children or pets that crave attention. Working somewhere like the kitchen table can be a nightmare with all of the foot traffic so create an office, you will not regret it.
Start Working Early
The temptation to sleep in is one all professionals that work from home understand. Getting your work done early can allow you to do something else later in the day. A late start just means you will be working later into the day so concentrate on getting good quality sleep. Using alcohol to help you fall asleep is a poor idea as the hangover combined with lower quality sleep that you get when drinking can lead to a very unproductive next day.
Plan Your Day Out
Setting an agenda for the day is important so as soon as you sit down you can start working. Set up your day so you knock out difficult tasks first as this can help you stay motivated for the duration of the day. Putting off a difficult task until the end of the day can lead you to dread the task for a majority of the day. There are so many project management and calendar tools available that you will be able to optimize your work day.
Check Your Email Once An Hour
The trap of checking your email only to get distracted becomes very easy when working from home. Once you begin a task do not stop until you have reached a stopping point before checking email. For those people that primarily work through their email this does not apply. Putting blockers on your social media accounts via an app is a great idea as surfing social media without a boss looking over your shoulder is at times too much temptation. These apps help people with their productivity on a daily basis so try one of them out!
Become the highest producer for your company when working from home and make sure you retain that privilege for the extended future.
