One of the most difficult, yet satisfying challenges in the home organization is working remotely from home. It's something frustrated clients often ask us to solve. You'll be amazed at how much more productive you can be if your workspace and family responsibilities are clearly defined. Our tips should soon help you start improving your home-based work life.
1. Home Office
Having a designated workspace is a priority. It makes your working day feel more official. If you don't have a small room to spare, choose a space that's in the quietest part of the house. A folding screen placed around your desk area gives you more privacy. Install a desk or table, shelving and a comfortable office-style chair. Check you have enough electrical sockets for equipment such as a printer and desk lamp.
2. Lines of Communication
It's important to get an efficient IP phone system installed from the beginning. It's vital for connecting to all your devices and every other company employee. You'll instantly appear more competent if you have an integral phone system that includes voice mail, video-conferencing and high-quality audio. Some include sophisticated headsets with useful noise-cancelling features.
3. Organize Schedules
Some people find they are more productive if they keep to regular working hours. Try maintaining the discipline of office life and make sure you begin at the same time each day. Insist your family cooperate and respect your working schedule. Encourage them to wait until you finish your tasks before discussing school projects or what to have for dinner.
4. Avoid Online Distractions
Without a boss supervising your work activities, it's easy to become distracted by everything online. Make sure your PC's home page has no quick links to news channels, fun games and favorite social media sites you might visit in your leisure hours. Leave your smartphone out of reach and only peek at e-mails at designated intervals.
5. List Tasks
Some people have adapted too well to working remotely from home. They ignore lunch breaks and often work well into the night. You need to be organized to prevent overloading any working day. Assess the work you have and sort out a list of daily tasks. Prioritize urgent assignments. Intersperse difficult projects with easier work to bring variety into your schedule.
6. Accommodating Family Life
Working from home leaves you vulnerable to all kinds of family distractions. Kids off school, your devoted life partner with time away from work or your dearest relatives visiting unannounced, they're all incredibly intrusive. Plan and organize emergency childcare and always tell relatives to fix visiting times. Encourage your partner to take kids out on visits to museums or the local park.
7. Regular Breaks
It's surprising how your concentration can become hazy unless you regularly refresh your brain cells. Target short breaks plus a long time for relaxing halfway through the day. Take a brief walk around the block or do a few exercises to improve concentration. And did you know the stimulating effects of drinking tea can actually last much longer than coffee?
8. Organize Healthy Meals
Use your spare time to cook and freeze multiple portions of healthy snacks and meals. They'll be convenient when your family needs a quick lunch break without interrupting your work. Cooking a nourishing family meal after you've finished working can be relaxing and help you de-stress. Make it a special time of day where you can all enjoy talking over the day's events.
9. Time Management
Working at home leaves you to organize your time effectively. Without supervision, it's easy to take too long on an assignment. Consider how long a task should take and set an alarm clock to keep you on track. Competing with the clock to finish before it rings can help your productivity level increase. Alternatively, a low volume, background commentary from a local radio station should provide plenty of time checks.
10. Flexible Attitude
It makes a great difference if you choose to work from home rather than being forced into it. Successful home workers usually evolve flexible routines that are tailored to their particular way of life. You are free to work at odd hours such as a very early morning or late at night. Experiment and find out which parts of your day appear the most productive. You could even have intervals of a few hours where you can include family responsibilities and household chores with ease.
Conclusion
Working remotely often depends on your mindset. But adopting a disciplined, yet flexible approach can help you become super organized. Find your perfect space for a home office, install the best equipment and be strict about needless interruptions from your loved ones. You might not get everything right at once, but with a little practice, you're sure to be more productive in the long run.
Author Bio: This article was written by Seamus Dunne of Conversation Piece. Conversation Piece is a leading player in telecommunications, providing VoIP Phone Systems nationwide to large and small-scale businesses.
