Ten Tips for Working from Home

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If you have never worked from home before, and are now offered (or encouraged) to do so, there undoubtedly will be some adjustments. In order to ease into this transition, here are some tips for you to consider:

1. To begin with, create a dedicated office space. If you do not have a separate room, try to carve out a corner in a quieter room to minimize distractions
2. Be sure family members are respectful of your office space. Set clear rules for anyone else who may be using your space.
3. Keep your same schedule. Get up at the same time, get ready for work, take breaks and lunch at the same time, etc.
4. If you have a meeting scheduled (either by phone or video) and there will be other family members in your home during your meeting, be sure to let them know and ask them to be quiet. Obviously, if you have smaller children, this can be challenging. From personal experience with a toddler, I created projects and several other things for her to do to keep her occupied during my meetings.
5. On the flip side, if you have younger children at home and a meeting scheduled, give the person you are meeting with a heads up. Inform the person that you have taken measures to avoid interruptions, but by notifying the person ahead of time, he/she will not be caught off guard if an interruption occurs.
6. As you’re adjusting to this new work routine, if you need something from your company, ask. If something is not working or if you have a suggestion on how to improve something, discuss it with your boss.
7. You may miss the social part of working in an office; for example, the daily water cooler conversations. Perhaps you could create your own “remote social working environment.” Maybe it’s a group text, group email, or conference call, but if you schedule something during working hours, be sure to get permission from your supervisor.
8. If you are an individual who used to bring a lunch and snacks with you to work, continue to pack your lunch and snacks for your work day. This will help you minimize overeating and will help you avoid junk food that you normally would not have access to.
9. Be positive. Working from home will provide you with some advantages. For example, during your lunch, you could throw in a load of laundry.
10. Finally, create work-life boundaries. When your work day ends, it ends. Leave your home-based office for the day.

Can you think of any other tips which would be helpful for working from home? If so, please share.