With so many people working from home, somecards.com had 18 people give some advice on how to make it work!
1. Isolate yourself from areas where chores might be too tempting.
Pick a room, close the door, and use noise cancelling headphones. Everything is a distraction when working from home. Suddenly, checking the mail and doing the dishes seems like the best use of your time. - ReapersHere
2. Or do the opposite: max out on distractions early.
I do the exact opposite. I turn on annoying cable news, put off work doing other things like dishes and bills and whatever random cleaning. Then, since that only takes like 15 minutes, I sit down and flip channels for a while, realize daytime tv is still shit and work is actually more interesting. Then I usually hammer at it for a few hours and take a break to kill more time, maybe go for a walk or go eat lunch, then come back around mid afternoon, realize there’s nothing to do, and slam out a few more hours. Once I’ve eliminated distractions by proving them to be far more boring than work, I actually focus longer on whatever I’m doing because it’s normally the most interesting thing going for me before 5pm. - ApplecakesMcGee
3. Set a boundary so you don't end up working all day every day.
If there’s one thing especially to be disciplined about it the TIME TO STOP WORKING! It’s very easy to convince yourself it’s ok to keep reading a report because you might just finish it today or to finish making all of the entries because tomorrow will be that much easier or you’ll finally be done with a project. Work at home starts to bleed over into your home non-work time/life very quietly and quickly. Pretty soon it will be a habit. I’ve worked at home for the last 15 years and got so much more work done but I had to fight hard to win this battle. - IPAUSEFORHURRICANES
4. Lots of people say maintaining a morning routine as if you're leaving the house is a must.
Do your usual morning routine and get dressed! Be sitting at your desk by your usual start time and stick to your usual break times. It's tempting to stay in your pyjamas and work from bed but you'll feel much better if you put yourself together each day. - CosmicKizmet
5. But for some people, comfort is key.
I’ve been working at home 10+ years. Leggings and tshirts all day. Don’t even bother with the bra haha. - Kinsella_FINN
6. For many of us, discipline is a must.
I have worked from home about half my career. You have to have a lot of will power to keep yourself from getting distracted with stuff like playstation, Facebook, Reddit, eating too many snacks, watching TV/Netflix etc... because you are going to want to do that stuff instead of working. I usually designate "work time" and abstain from other activities during that time. - billmalin
7. Breaks are really important.
Absolutely take your breaks and lunch on time and regularly. If you have a pet, entertain them on your break. Since you’re not in the office you can play music or watch a show in the background— as long as it’s not distraction. Have your set up facing a window or near one so you get some sunlight. Enjoy working in your loungewear :) no more business casual/uniform/dress code. - bluedratini
8. Don't beat yourself up if you do get distracted.
There are so fewer distractions at home — no other employees mulling around, or conversations, or impromptu “hey duck into this meeting really quick”s, so a little f*** around time is warranted. - Account_8472
9. Keep track of your accomplishments so that you stay upbeat.
Listen to yourself and learn about how you respond to inputs and adjust your routine for the season, relationship, distractions, stressors, etc. Use some form of todo lists so you can measure your daily output. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Budget time for family, exercise and meals just like you set time for meetings and work tasks. Procrasta-cleaning is a real thing. - anon645496
10. Count your time in tasks completed, not hours.
Set tasks not time. Don’t tell yourself “oh I’ve been working for X hours [translation: browsing reddit] , I deserve a break”. Make a list of what you need to get done and don’t give yourself an out till you’ve gotten it done.
If you can talk to your coworkers on Hangouts / Slack / whatever. Hold each other accountable to your lists. - AlexTMighty
11. Make sure your family members or roommates know you're working. This is harder than it seems...
I have been working from home for 20 years, since before my first kid was born. It has been great. My biggest habits:
Have a dedicated space and keep regular hours.
Make sure your family knows they can’t interrupt your work unless the house is on fire.
Keep a journal so nobody can question your productivity.
Use your saved commute hours to read the paper in the morning and/or exercise.
Eat lunch out of your fridge.
Keep good coffee in the house.
You can actually be more productive at home and live a better life this way, if you stay disciplined. - KlownPuree
12. If you're a vitamin person, fine-tune your daily supplements.
Use L theanine (green tea) with your stimulants so you can sit still and focus instead of being agitated and fidgety. - MarieMartinRocks
13. This could be a challenge if your workspace is your couch, but...
Make your workspace look and feel professional. - MarieMartinRocks
14. Going outside is important — and allowed!
Make sure that you get up and move around and get fresh air. -SantoriniRocks
15. Music can help you stay focused.
Have shit you will get done by a specific time or by the end of the day. Not a "oh I'll do 3 hours of work". No. Get tasks ready or you will get distracted and lose focus.
Also put on some music or something that is not too distracting get comfortable and you may end up getting in a "flow" or "the zone". That is when you really get a ton of work done. You end up doing better than in an office. - Tearakan
16. Snacks are a slippery slope when you work from home.
Leave the refrigerator full of healthy foods so you’re not tempted to binge eat out of boredom. - MarieMartinRocks
17. Tangible goals are important.
Make goals for yourself and set a consistent schedule. Goals are key, always. Not only do they help plan, but you also feel pretty accomplished when you’re done. - TheFckingNSA
18. Most importantly, go easy on yourself — and stay off social media!
Don't overestimate yourself. You will get distracted, you will get bored and you will be way less productive than planned. Go somewhere quiet alone, close the door, leave your phone outside if you can.
Be prepared for tasks to take you longer than they normally do and for gods sake stay away from social media sites. - MechanicalLibra
Here is the article https://www.someecards.com/life/life/work-from-home-tips/
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