How to Stay Productive When Working From Home

More and more companies are allowing their employees to work from home, and while this can be a great way to save money on commuting, it also poses its risks of hindering productivity. With your television, bed and family only a few feet away from you, you may find yourself slacking at your job, and if you slack too much, you may find yourself out of a job.

If you are able to work from home, here are a few tips to help you maximize productivity so that you can keep your job.

Set a schedule.

The best way to be productive at a home office is to create a schedule and stick with it. Make sure that you write out your to-do list for the day so that you can remain on track of what you need to get done and prioritize everything so that you can stay on schedule. If you don’t schedule your time appropriately, you will not be able to stay on track and you will be more likely to fall behind.

You should also try to schedule your breaks appropriately. Make sure to set aside time for lunch and two or three 15 minute breaks to just walk away from your home office and let your mind take a mental break.

Have a designated workspace.

A home office should be made up of a real place in your home that is set up like an office. You should have a desk and an ergonomic chair to help you keep the right posture and remain comfortable throughout your day. If you are sitting in bed with a laptop all day, you’ll be more likely to fall asleep on the job. Make sure that your workspace contains all of the right items, such as a computer, landline telephone, printer, and ample lighting, amongst other necessities.

Get high speed Internet.

High speed Internet access will easily make a giant improvement on your productivity. You can spend more time accessing the necessary information and sharing your work with others instead of waiting for emails to send or for websites or documents to open.

Use sharing software.

If you share documents with other people, you need to invest in sharing software, such as Dropbox. This service allows you to share large files and documents with other people without having to send the file via email. Simply drop your file into the shared folder, and the other people you’re connected with will easily have access to these items. Plus, using this service also gives you access to the files you share if you are ever away from your home computer.

Stay organized.

Make sure that you have a place for everything and that everything is put in its place. The more organized you can make your office, the more productive you will be. Make sure that you have files for your papers, that your desk is de-cluttered, and that you even label all of your electronic files appropriately.

Keep a Clean Working Environment

Consider scheduling a regular cleaning day once a week and a deep cleaning day at least once every quarter, during the deep cleaning concentrate in reaching crevices disposing of paper no longer in use, cleaning blinds and having your carpet professionally cleaned.

If you use all of these tips, you will be able to be more productive in your home office. As long as you can improve your productivity, you will be able to enjoy working from home without the risk of losing your job.

Prepared by D. Nelson, D. Nelson provides professional carpet cleaning Mckinney TX and surrounding areas. Together with his wife they run shop from their small home office.