Recently, I wrote about the best ways to get into freelance writing. That could be a digital nomad who works from wherever they can get a WiFi signal. Or, like me, it could be all about working from home.

I’ve been working from home for more than seven years now, and it has made me a better person. I don’t always have a great tolerance for the general public – that’s not in an arrogant or offensive manner, but in the 30-ish years since I left school, society has changed. There are a lot of people who believe the world owes them something and who have a sense of entitlement, and my previous job in the retail sector highlighted that. The customer is always right? No, the customer is often wrong, and the older I got, the less I tolerated that. It made me quite embittered, so working from home has helped that.

However, it isn’t easy. Good friends of mine will often remark how they couldn’t do what I do, work alone, often for days at a time if Fe is away, with no interaction at all. Granted, it isn’t for everyone, but if you work from home, some tips can help you stay motivated, connected, and productive. It’s not all about human interaction, but these are my top tips for working from home.

Have a Routine

Firstly, working from home is great but it should still be treated as working. Having a set routine, a start and finish time, will help you compartmentalise your day and keep some structure. I’ve known freelancers who will get up, work a bit, have breakfast, work a bit, and then float about, dipping in and out. They don’t get as much done, and as someone who farms work out to freelancers, they’re the ones you tend to find have issues with productivity and quality.

You should see working from home as a normal job. Have a start time, a lunch and a finish time. You can twist those as you see fit – for instance, I have a dog walk to do in the morning, but I still try to have some sort of routine. It also helps when switching off – if you regularly do eight hours, nine in the morning until five in the evening, then you will find it easier to unwind at 7 pm on a Friday without thinking, ‘I’ll just get this done’.

Have a Set Workspace

I’m lucky; we have a downstairs room that’s too small to use as anything other than an office. It means when I get to ‘work’, it feels like I’m not just kicking about the house. It doesn’t have to be a room, but try not to just work from the kitchen table or with the laptop on your knee on the sofa. It’s important because you need to set the boundaries between work and personal life. If the two spaces are mingled, it is more challenging to switch off when you need to.

If I have personal stuff to do on the laptop, I often take it into the kitchen, so it feels different to sitting down for work. It does help having a door in an office, though, because once that bad boy is closed, it’s my time.

Try To Step Away

If you work in an office, ask yourself this – how many hours do you actually work? You might be there for eight, but how often do you make a drink? Do you chew the fat with colleagues for ten minutes? I used to work in a builder’s merchant, and I would often make my way down the yard, catch up with some of the lads out there. You might nip off to get some water, or have to go upstairs for paper and pens. There are lots of things you do that break up screen time, but not at home.

At home, there’s nothing. It’s you, the office and the screen. Therefore, it is important to step away at times, to make a drink or walk around the garden. After each batch of tasks, maybe every hour or two, I stretch my legs. Working from home has many benefits, but you have to make sure that you enjoy them. We have a lovely garden, so in the summer, that’s the benefit. I’ll have a little walk, and come back to my screen just as I would in an office.

Use Communication Platforms

The biggest issue with remote working can be a feeling of detachment. People I speak to who don’t work from home often remark they couldn’t just be on their own all day, they like to see people, to chat and debate. I can understand that, which is why using communication platforms is really important. The company I work for uses Slack, which means I can feel like I’m in an office, chatting away. I often swap music recommendations with a colleague in the Philippines and can talk football with my boss across thousands of miles.

For my other venture, Top of the League Media, we use Discord to stay in touch. I also have WhatsApp groups set up, as I’m sure you all do. However, those are my outlets; they’re where I find conversation at lunch or where I can pick people’s brains if I have an issue.

Of course, that doesn’t entirely replicate human interaction, but I always make sure I say hello to the postman as well. It might sound really small, but you can find human interaction if you try. Working from home makes me a bit more receptive to it when I’m out at the shops or have a delivery – I make more of an effort to interact with people where usually I may not.

Make Sure Family Understand

This is HUGE and it is no reflection on my family or friends. However, when I started working from home, I used to get visits mid-morning, people popping over for a brew because ‘you work from home so you’ve got time’. I love seeing people, of course I do, but it’s really important that you highlight how working from home is no different from working in an office.

I don’t discourage people popping over, but I always ask if they give advance notice, so I can say whether it is convenient or not. If family and friends just pop over, it disrupts your day, and they might even have a wasted journey. That said, be careful they don’t go the other way – my dad came over last week, and my car wasn’t in the drive, so rather than knock on the door, he drove off as he didn’t want to disturb Fe whilst she was working!

I think the key is to just make sure they know you’re not available all the time, as work is still work. That said, one of the benefits of working from home is flexible working time, so encourage a call ahead because if you are free, it’s a lovely way to break up a row of meetings or to be able to lunch in your garden with your parents, or siblings.

 

By admin

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