7 Tips to Help You Be More Efficient When Working From Home  

I’ve worked from home for two different organizations for close to five years. My job entails a lot of email, time at the computer, and conference calls, so I’m able to accomplish my work from just about anywhere. While there are aspects I miss about being in an office setting, for me, the benefits far outweigh these. However, successfully working from home takes some discipline and adjusting. These are a few of the lessons I’ve learned. 

• Work Space. While it may be tempting to work from your bed or back deck—and I’ve been known to do both on occasion—having a dedicated work space is critical to being productive. I have a true home office and have it set up with a desk, extra monitor, printer, six-foot dry-erase board, and conference phone. This space achieves two purposes. When I’m in my office, it’s a mental shift, and I’m in work mode. More importantly, when I leave my office at the end of the day, I am able to shift out of work mode more easily. Even if I spend part of my day working in another part of the house, I make a point to end my day in my office, so I feel finished with the work day when I leave that room. 

• Schedule. My commute to my home office is about 20 feet, which means I save a lot of time in the morning. It also means I’ve lost that drive time that I used to use to gather my thoughts and plan my day before getting to the office. I’ve learned that I’m most productive if I set 30 minutes to an hour aside early each morning to check email, read the news, and get ready for the day, and I’ve blocked my calendar to reflect this. At the end of the day, I try to have a physical change from my office by working out, running errands, or doing a chore around the house, which helps me with the mental break at the end of the day.

• Breaks. When I worked in an office, I had mental and physical breaks throughout the day: walking down the hall to chat with a co-worker for a few minutes about community events, group outings to lunch, and impromptu gatherings around snacks in the break room. When I first started working from home, I didn’t have those distractions and would often sit in front of my computer for hours without moving. I either ate lunch in front of my computer or took a quick ten minutes to heat something up and eat before going right back to the computer. It didn’t take long for this to start affecting my mental and physical health, and after some reflection, I realized I had to adjust. Now, I take several five-to-ten-minute breaks during the day and go outside for some fresh air, take a quick bike ride, or take care of an easy household chore. I’ve found this approach keeps me refreshed and more productive throughout the day.

• Clothing. There are differing opinions on how to dress when you work from home. Some people swear by getting up and dressing as if they were headed to the office. My philosophy is more around comfort, and I often am in shorts and t-shirt. The key is to figure out which helps you be most productive. On the other hand, if you are regularly conducting video calls, make sure you’re dressed professionally and in line with the other person/people.

• Office Visits. I travel to our national home office on average once a month. This is a chance for me to get some valuable face time with my internal stakeholders. Whether I’m there for just a day or several, I try to line up as many in-person meetings as possible. Additionally, I walk through the building and visit with coworkers, commenting on something in their offices, updating on a project, etc., to help solidify the connection I have with them. I schedule lunches and dinners while I’m there as well. All the meetings can be exhausting but well worth the extra effort to nurture the relationships I have with my coworkers.

• Professional Relationships. I’m lucky that my current role allows me to travel regularly to the national office and meet with my colleagues in person. The camaraderie and creativity in an office setting is hard to replicate through Skype meetings, so in my previous role I found myself needing some face-to-face interaction with others in my field. In addition to attending luncheon meetings for a professional development organization in my field, I try to meet up with professional friends and colleagues regularly for lunch or coffee.

• Time Off. It’s tempting to not take time off when you work from home. I’ve taken my computer with me on vacation to “work from home” at the beach. Likewise, when sick, I had to convince myself to not work and actually rest. I learned over time, though, that the mental break when I’m on vacation or am sick is just as important as the physical break. You don’t want to end up resenting your work for always being there, a risk you may run if you don’t carve out vacation and sick time.

Working from home can be a blessing, but not everyone can make it work. Hopefully, my experiences can help you be successful if you have the opportunity.