7 tips to work from home successfully

How to be happy and productive when you work from home

To be able to work from home is a common dream for many people who commute and are office-bound. The reality of working from a home office, though, is that it can be lonely and unproductive. Over many years I’ve found that the key to being able to work from home happily and successfully is to create a strong structure for your working days.

If you work with other people, you’re automatically part of a dynamic system that demands your participation. It may sound blissful to be away from the office politics and the constant interruptions, but it’s difficult to achieve anything if you feel all alone and that there are no consequences if you don’t get on with your work.

After trial and lots of error here are some ways to create a structure to work from home productively:

1. Have an established routine for starting your day. For example, browse websites you’ve found in magazine and newspaper articles or promotional material. Have a look at your favourite newspaper’s site, log into your business bank account and then check your e-mails – suddenly you are into work mode without any pain!

2. Make your phone calls straightaway – speaking to other people will give you energy and will probably provide some deadlines or help to prioritise your work.

3. Make yourself part of a web of business associates which may include any or all of the following – clients, suppliers, sub-contractors, employees, people doing a similar job. The more you feel part of something outside yourself and your own home, the more motivated you will feel.

4. Go along to networking and training events – never think you ‘don’t have time’. Taking a break away from your desk will re-energise you and give you fresh ideas for tackling problems which seem insoluble if you keep going over and over them.

5. If it’s all getting heavy and too much like hard work – stop and do something you enjoy, preferably away from home. Go for a walk, get a coffee at your local cafe, meet a friend. When you come back, you’ll be in a totally different frame of mind and what was so difficult before will just flow.

6. You have the flexibility your office-bound friends are so envious of, so use it! Combine something you enjoy with a business errand – after a business meeting, have lunch out, do some shopping, have a walk in the park.

7. Remember that sometimes it’s just really hard to work from home and you may feel overwhelmed. At times like this, refer immediately to point 5 above!