5 Things You Should Know About Working from Home
According to recent studies, about a quarter of all workers do at least some work at home. While it does have its benefits, the arrangement can take a toll on your well-being. Here are some realities that come with working from home, along with some tips on improving the experience.
- Discipline is a must. While most of us are eager to escape our browbeating bosses, it's not always easy to stay motivated without oversight. After a few days of working at home, you may find yourself distracted or unmotivated, especially if you have the freedom to make your own schedule. You can combat this by maintaining a routine that centers on getting up at the same time every day and tackling your projects as they come, instead of at the last second when deadlines loom large.
- Loneliness can be a problem. When you first start working at home, you might feel happy to have escaped the frustrations and distractions of the office. Soon enough, however, you are likely to recognize the value of facetime. When we spend a lot of time alone, we can become depressed or isolated. You should work hard to mitigate this effect by working in coffee shops and other public environments. You should also prioritize your social life, so you won't feel cooped up and cut off from the world.
- Insomnia can be an issue. If you work at home, it's important to confine your work to an office or spare bedroom. Never allow yourself to work in your bedroom, or your brain will start to associate the environment with wakefulness and stress. If you can't get out of the house much, take some breaks and go for walks around your neighborhood. However you do it, get yourself out of the house as much as possible, or your home will start to feel less like a home and more like an office.
- Interruptions can take over. To get in a productive flow, it's important to build momentum. Unfortunately, it's easy to become distracted when we are at home. Whether it's your children, household responsibilities or your social media feed, distractions can turn productive days into wasted opportunities. They can also contribute to stress by disrupting your focus and putting you behind schedule. Make sure to create a quiet, secluded area for your work, and let your family know that you shouldn't be interrupted when you are there.
- It may change the way you feel about your home. When you are forced to commute to the office after a long weekend, your home probably seems like an oasis. After waking up at your place of work day after day, however, your home may not have the same appeal. You can reduce these feelings by working outside the home as much as possible. Shared workspaces are a great way to cope with isolation and other challenges of working from home alone. They also provide valuable opportunities to network with professionals, who could ultimately become friends, partners or mentors.
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