How to Work From Home Without Going Crazy

Working from home, also called home office, may seem like a dream job for many people. You don’t have to get up and go to work, use public transportation or wait in traffic jams. However, as is the case with everything, home office also has its negatives.

Working from home requires a great deal of discipline. Correctly dividing your time and separating work from relaxation – those are among the hardest tasks everyone who works from home has to deal with. If you have children, it may be hard to explain to them that you’re “working” right now and they shouldn’t disturb you.

What are the Advantages?

People who work from home are, no doubt, aware of all of the advantages and disadvantages of this style of work. The advantages are mostly about saving money. Home office truly saves a lot of time, money, and attention. Have you ever considered how long it takes to get to work and come back? If you work from home, you don’t have to deal with such problems. Of course, if you eliminate travel, you also save the money you would use for it. Working for home also positively affects your attention. You’re not interrupted by colleagues, meetings or managers who give you new tasks.

The Master of Your Own Time

Working from home has many advantages and disadvantages. Though you save a lot of money, not enough social interaction can be a huge disadvantage. When you’re alone, you lack any sort of feedback from your superiors and miss out on the occasional praise. What’s worse, if you don’t try to work effectively, you may lose your established work habits.

If you decide to set up a home office, the following few tips will help you use your time effectively and avoid burnout.

Organize Your Time

Working from home requires a great deal of discipline. You can be easily distracted by a pet, television or a noisy neighbor. The best way to avoid it is to create a daily work plan for yourself. Plan out everything you’ll do that day. Breakfast, work, your lunch break, and everything else. The most important aspect of this plan are the goals you want to reach that day, so you should always divide the time you’ll need for them. Try not to postpone your deadlines too much, else you may end up with too many tasks to handle.

Communicate

If you work as part of a company, it’s important to stay in contact with your colleagues and superiors. Use any means you can, for example, e-mail, Skype or even telephone calls. Many apps, such as WhatsApp, are also a good way you can to keep up communication.

Take Breaks and Move

Tiredness can be a huge demotivation. It’s very important to rest at least once every hour. Have a stretch or go for a short walk outside, get off of your seat and find something to do for a moment. Sometimes, you feel like you work all day but then found out that you didn’t get anything done. These creative blocks can be solved by taking the aforementioned break. The key is to distract yourself with something else and turn off for a moment. When you return to your job properly rested, you’ll see the difference.

Designate Your Own Work Space

At work, you would have your own desk and a chair. It’s best to have something similar at home. The absolute best thing is to have your own room with a comfortable chair and a large table. Of course, not everyone has an extra room they can use as their office. A good alternative is to have your own special chair that you will only use for work. It doesn’t have to be a leather office chair and you can even work at the kitchen table. The trick is to change seats immediately if you open Facebook or a Youtube video. Like this, your work chair will always be for work and not for procrastination.

Be Serious But Reward Yourself

If you don’t have a superior to motivate you, you might sometimes have the feeling that your work doesn’t make much sense or doesn’t have any meaning. Try to complete your goals as much as you can and don’t forget to reward yourself. It can be anything from your favorite food or a little something you buy for yourself.

Even home office has its rules, the same as any other job. If you don’t establish any, you will often struggle to complete your goals. One great way to change your habits is by using clothing. Try to dress the same way as you would if you were going outside. If you spend your whole day in pajamas, you’ll struggle to find focus and motivation. The most important thing is your satisfaction. A job should be fulfilling, not a chore.