Working from Home

A survival guide

Over time I have developed a few techniques which have helped me keep-up my sanity, my productivity and the quality of my work.

1. Change of scenery

Cabin fever: You wake up in your house, eat, work and sleep there - it can become horrifyingly easy to not leave for a few days at a time.

To combat this, work in a different location as often as you can - at least a couple of afternoons a week; even if it is just trotting across the road to your local café.

2. Escape the computer

Once you have finished work for the day, completely switch off your computer. And do not touch it again until the morning. This serves three purposes:

1. Provides a clear cut-off point when work ends and your personal time begins;
2. it makes the compulsion to check your emails mid-way through the evening a lot more difficult;
3. it gives your computer and your eyes a break.

Do something else. Go and take a bath, cook supper - anything that doesn’t involve the computer.

3. Take a break

If you find your attention wandering, take a 10-minute break. One of the great things about working from home is that you can work at your own pace and in a style that suits you.

Rather than trying to fight the compulsion to check your Facebook or Twitter, if your attention is seriously floundering, a good trick is to give in. Get up, make a drink, have a look at the papers or social networks. Then, after 10 minutes, get back to work again. But don’t let your 10-minute break turn into two hours!

4. Create boundaries

One common problem with working from home is that you suddenly become permanently available in the eyes of your friends. People assume that you can pop over to them for lunch because you don’t have to get back to the office. (Similarly, if you leave your Skype, Yahoo, MSN or Facebook chat on during the day, friends will message you!)

You must be firm and set a precedent right from the start. Set your Skype to ‘invisible’ and explain politely, but firmly, to your friends that you still need to be ‘at work’ during the day, even if you are not in an office. Otherwise, your productivity levels will plummet and you’ll end up working way into the night to catch up.

5. Stick to a routine

Set your alarm and get up at the same time every morning. Act as if you are leaving the house. Get dressed, make your bed, eat breakfast.

Preferably leave the house briefly. Grab a coffee or go for a brisk ten minute walk. Then, and only then, sit down and start work.

That way you’ll start the day with energy - and never end up spending 48 hours in your pyjamas.