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Get the most out of Working from Home

Well this is odd - most of us are working from home and I think those who this is new to are finding it hard to adjust to. Hence I wanted to share with you what I have found to work for me (particularly now I have a whole family at home during the day).

• Work out when is your most productive time (are you morning or night) and when the house offers you the quiet time you need. I have found that if I start at 6.30am (lets be honest most of us had to be up at this time for exercise or commutes or getting the kids to school) I can get  1½ hours under my belt before the rest of the house springs into action. I can then stop and take breakfast and catch up with the family. I can find 3 of these slots a day which gives me a chance to have at least 4½ hours of super productive time everyday without being selfish in these hard times.
• Keep a routine including eating and exercise. If you usually exercise everyday then continue to do so. If you didn’t what a great time to start. The hardest part I think is eating whilst at home (so much to eat and so much choice). My advice is make and plan your days food the day before (I do this when I am going to the office, why change it just because you are at home).
• Plan what you want to achieve the day before so you can go straight into the day without needing to spend the first ½ planning. Set yourself objectives before you make that next cup of tea, operate a reward scheme for achieving what you set out to achieve.
• Finally, don’t work in isolation make sure you continue to communicate with colleagues, ideally face to face digitally from time to time as well as by phone. Office banter or none work related communication is still allowed.

Working from home is all in the planning and allowing yourself to work to your natural rhythm only then will you start to achieve the productivity that you expect from yourself.