If you worked in an office for a number of years, working from home can be an adjustment. You want to make sure you stay productive, don’t get distracted by your responsibilities at home and make the best use of your time.

Establish A Routine

If you woke up at 6:30 am to arrive to the office on time, stick with that schedule. Since you may no longer have that commute, perhaps you should consider exercising in the morning. It’s a great way to energize you and elevate your mood. Taking a shower before you start working helps you maintain a routine similar to what you had when you were commuting to an office. Build in structure. Set a time for lunch and breaks in between. It’s important to get out of the house to enjoy the sunlight, do some outdoor activities and get some fresh air. It will help in terms of elevating your mood.

Set A Space for Work

When working from home, separation of work from home life is key. Designating a space for your work is healthier than working in all areas of the home. Working from your bed will make it difficult to sleep because you associate your bedroom with work. Working in an area where the family gathers is a distraction. It also triggers thoughts about everything you need to do at home.

Set Goals When You Work from Home

Setting goals helps you to stay focused and brings you that much closer to achieve your objectives. If you work for yourself, you have the additional pressure of making the most of every moment in order to financially support yourself. It’s also important to plan beyond the day. You should establish weekly, monthly and quarterly goals. Evaluate your progress on an ongoing basis. If personal duties are taking you away from work obligations develop a plan to minimize those distractions. End your workday at a regular time every day. When you work from home, there’s a tendency to stretch your day into the late hours. Set those boundaries to maintain work life balance.

Interaction with Colleagues

Working from home can be difficult if you crave constant human interaction with co-workers. Schedule calls with other colleagues and your social network. Allowing for that interaction is important in staying motivated and engaged. Schedule a lunch or coffee with colleagues from time to time to take a break and decompress.  Brainstorming calls are a great way to take advantage of all the resources you have available to you. Take some time to attend networking events that provide value. If you are growing your business, it’s critical to continue to expand your network to grow your business.

When you work from home, it does take discipline and focus to make sure you are productive on a daily basis. We can always improve upon our processes. Take the time to measure how you are doing and make adjustments accordingly. There are a number of benefits when you work from home. You want to make the most of this flexible work arrangement.