5 Tips for Working at Home

I’m a fiction writer and spend much of each day in my room alone with my characters. Since retiring from my day job five years ago, I write in my home-office, and have published over a dozen novels. Working from home can be all it is cracked up to be. It can also be lonely and isolating, especially for extroverts.

If you have the sort of job that allows you to work from home–congratulations. Lucky you! At least that is what your friends will tell you. They would love to work from home, until they try it.

There are many advantages of working at home. You gain time by avoiding commuting. You save money in gas, on clothing and on eating out.

There are also disadvantages from working in your home. The isolation can be a shock. If you are accustomed to bouncing ideas off coworkers, working collaboratively and who enjoy casual conversation with colleagues the conversion can be difficult. Technology allows much of the collaborative work to continue using online task-management software. But checking off a digital to-do list or conference video chats cannot compare to face-to-face contact. Being self-directed, figuring out everything on your own and having the discipline to operate alone can be a challenge.

It’s a struggle when the only one supervising you is, well, you! So here are some tips to help you get started working from your dining room table or in that combo home office/guest room.

1. Set a Routine

Setting your own hours sounds appealing. If you are a night owl, you may adjust your work into that schedule. But avoid procrastinating the day away.

Remember this is still a job. You wouldn’t leave for work an hour late, so don’t begin your workday at home this way. If possible, follow roughly the same hours as your office job. This puts you on a similar schedule as others. Plan a morning block of work-time including a short break, a mid-day meal and two afternoon breaks. Use those breaks to move around.

Recognize that each day is different and make adjustments. Plan projects and create a schedule of tasks to keep you on track.

2. Dress in Yoga Pants?

Not necessarily. If you are staying home, you still must wash-up, brush-up and get dressed. It’s important and not just to avoid frightening the Amazon delivery person or your neighbors. You are still going to work so treat yourself like a professional. Comfortable clothing is recommended, but get out of those sweatpants because pajamas and a robe are not a great look, even in a home office.

“She told her kids that they could interrupt only if someone was bleeding or something was on fire. ”

3. Interruptions

Interruptions don’t cease because you are at home. They just change shape. When I left my day job, my friends thought that working at home was code for not working. A change in location does not mean that you are available all day. So I ignored many texts and phone messages until end of day. It took a while to train them, but they got the idea. However, when my mother was ill, that phone was on and beside me all the time. When caring for an elderly parent, her needs took precedence over mine.

Everyone’s situation is different. For some, there are less interruptions at home and more for others. There are plenty either way. Some cannot be eliminated. Folks with children know that. My friend had young ones causing her to institute the ‘bleeding or on fire rule’. She told her kids that they could interrupt only if someone was bleeding or something was on fire. You do what you can.

The good news is most distractions can be reduced. All situations are different, so choose the ones that will.

Mute your phone or put it in another room
Turn off the unnecessary alerts
Close the office door
Set up an email automation. “I reply to mail after 2 PM” or “I reply to email on Wednesdays …”
Educate your friends and family on when and how it’s okay to interrupt
Turn off the television
Be available when not working

4. Flip Your Day

Get errands like trips to the grocery, dentist, doctor, post office or hardware store done just before lunch. Instead of hitting those places in the late afternoon when they are most crowded, you will breeze in and out before the lunch hour madness. Why not just go in the early morning, you ask? I tried that, go food shopping at 7 AM on a Tuesday and you will find the store empty. But then you lose one to two of your most productive hours of the day. The choice is yours.

5. Call it a Day!

When you leave the office, are you finished? Many of us still check our email throughout the evening. It’s a challenge to set tasks aside because there is no separation of time and distance. The job now lives in your house. So, unless you are paying yourself overtime, make end of day part of your schedule and follow it.

Change tacks mentally and physically after you close your laptop. For me, it’s hard to leave my characters in my office and return to reality. Being distracted or working after end of the day is unfair to your family. If you are lucky enough to have one of those, do your part to take part. Now is the time to socialize, enjoy your family and see your friends. After all, isn’t that why you toil?

Working from home has its own challenges and rewards. Learning to set a routine, plan a schedule, manage distractions and beat isolation will help you boost productivity. And more productivity means you either get more accomplished or you get more free time. Either way, you win!

Publishers Weekly bestselling author, Jenna Kernan, was born in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. RT BookClub called her romantic suspense series "Flat-out good." Jenna offers a FREE BOOK on her website at www.jennakernan.com. She is a redhead transplanted to Florida where she has increased her sunblock to SPF50. Follow Jenna on BookBub at jenna-kernan.

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