10 Tips on How to Work From Home
Train delays getting you down? Here are 10 ways to work from home successfully
Victoria Harrison
29 December 2016
Editor, Houzz UK and Ireland
Working from home can seem like the dream, especially on days when the commute feels like a struggle. But while you may have a vague idea of typing away in your pyjamas from the comfort of your sofa, the reality of working from home can be a little different. Here are 10 rules for getting the most out of your day.
Find your nook
You might not have space for a dedicated home office, especially if you only work from home now and again, so you might need to get creative with your desk.
However, it’s surprising just where you can carve out space for a work station. Be it a kitchen table, corner nook or breakfast bar, the main requirements are a clear work surface, a power point for your computer and good natural light.
See how to fit a home office into your kitchen
You might not have space for a dedicated home office, especially if you only work from home now and again, so you might need to get creative with your desk.
However, it’s surprising just where you can carve out space for a work station. Be it a kitchen table, corner nook or breakfast bar, the main requirements are a clear work surface, a power point for your computer and good natural light.
See how to fit a home office into your kitchen
Buy a proper office chair
It can be tempting to just grab a chair from a dining area when you’re working from home, but sitting at a desk for eight hours without proper support for your back can be a fast track to posture problems.
Although they don’t have a reputation for being beautiful, ergonomic office chairs are designed to offer the correct support, so if you’re going to be working from home frequently, it might be worth investing in one.
It’s important to ensure your computer screen is set at the correct height, too. If in doubt, you could ask your HR advisor at work to provide some tips for setting up your workstation, or search online for advice.
It can be tempting to just grab a chair from a dining area when you’re working from home, but sitting at a desk for eight hours without proper support for your back can be a fast track to posture problems.
Although they don’t have a reputation for being beautiful, ergonomic office chairs are designed to offer the correct support, so if you’re going to be working from home frequently, it might be worth investing in one.
It’s important to ensure your computer screen is set at the correct height, too. If in doubt, you could ask your HR advisor at work to provide some tips for setting up your workstation, or search online for advice.
Get dressed
Yes, you could work from home in your pyjamas, but, trust me, the novelty of this will wear off very rapidly. There’s a reason you get dressed smartly to go to the office: what you wear can have a real impact on how you feel.
If you slope around in a scruffy pair of pyjamas, you’ll probably feel more sluggish than if you get showered and dressed. You don’t need to put on a suit and tie to sit in your own living room, but do wear something that makes you feel positive and energised.
Yes, you could work from home in your pyjamas, but, trust me, the novelty of this will wear off very rapidly. There’s a reason you get dressed smartly to go to the office: what you wear can have a real impact on how you feel.
If you slope around in a scruffy pair of pyjamas, you’ll probably feel more sluggish than if you get showered and dressed. You don’t need to put on a suit and tie to sit in your own living room, but do wear something that makes you feel positive and energised.
Pick out the perfect playlist
The beauty of working from home is that you get to completely shape your office environment, so take the opportunity to make it personal to you and think about what will make you feel happy and inspired.
If classical tunes help you to be more productive, set up a playlist to run as background music while you type, or if 1970s glam rock gets you into the work groove, then tune in, turn it up and get typing.
The beauty of working from home is that you get to completely shape your office environment, so take the opportunity to make it personal to you and think about what will make you feel happy and inspired.
If classical tunes help you to be more productive, set up a playlist to run as background music while you type, or if 1970s glam rock gets you into the work groove, then tune in, turn it up and get typing.
Factor in storage
If you’re going to be working from home frequently, you’ll need to factor in some dedicated storage to house files, papers and stationery. They key is not to go too industrial; think less ‘metal filing cabinet’ and more ‘chic shelving’. Even if you just clear a small area in an existing shelving unit and dedicate it to work items, you’ll immediately feel more organised.
See 10 times built-in storage has transformed a living room
If you’re going to be working from home frequently, you’ll need to factor in some dedicated storage to house files, papers and stationery. They key is not to go too industrial; think less ‘metal filing cabinet’ and more ‘chic shelving’. Even if you just clear a small area in an existing shelving unit and dedicate it to work items, you’ll immediately feel more organised.
See 10 times built-in storage has transformed a living room
Step away from the washing machine
When you’re working from home, there can be a strong temptation to do a few quick jobs at the same time. Don’t go there! Would you have time to do a load of washing, mop the floors and wash the dishes if you were in the office? No you wouldn’t, so don’t be fooled into thinking you have time when you work from home.
Spend an hour doing housework and you’ll inevitably find you have to make that hour up at the end of the day, when you get to 6pm and realise you haven’t finished the work you needed to get through. So set yourself a ‘no chore’ rule and stick to it.
When you’re working from home, there can be a strong temptation to do a few quick jobs at the same time. Don’t go there! Would you have time to do a load of washing, mop the floors and wash the dishes if you were in the office? No you wouldn’t, so don’t be fooled into thinking you have time when you work from home.
Spend an hour doing housework and you’ll inevitably find you have to make that hour up at the end of the day, when you get to 6pm and realise you haven’t finished the work you needed to get through. So set yourself a ‘no chore’ rule and stick to it.
Take a lunch break
When you commute to an office, you’re probably more active than you realise. First you have to walk, cycle or catch transport there, then you probably pop out to get a sandwich at lunchtime before walking to the train station, or perhaps cycling home.
When you work from home, your commute is likely to be a one minute wander from the bedroom to the kitchen. And back again. If you have a well-stocked fridge, then you probably don’t even need to go out at lunchtime, so it can be easy to get into a sedentary routine.
Break this habit by making yourself go outside for a walk at lunchtime. Even if it’s just a brisk spin around the block, it’ll clear your head and shake some life back into your limbs.
When you commute to an office, you’re probably more active than you realise. First you have to walk, cycle or catch transport there, then you probably pop out to get a sandwich at lunchtime before walking to the train station, or perhaps cycling home.
When you work from home, your commute is likely to be a one minute wander from the bedroom to the kitchen. And back again. If you have a well-stocked fridge, then you probably don’t even need to go out at lunchtime, so it can be easy to get into a sedentary routine.
Break this habit by making yourself go outside for a walk at lunchtime. Even if it’s just a brisk spin around the block, it’ll clear your head and shake some life back into your limbs.
Hide the biscuits!
You might have iron-clad self-control, but I know that if there’s a biscuit tin within a 5m range of where I’m working, I just can’t concentrate. If your home office is in the kitchen or dining room, the temptation to snack all day can be very hard to resist.
If you think the call of the kitchen might be too much, you could try to limit the number of sugary snacks you keep within easy reach. Or restrict yourself to one mid-morning coffee break at the same time you would take one in the office.
You might have iron-clad self-control, but I know that if there’s a biscuit tin within a 5m range of where I’m working, I just can’t concentrate. If your home office is in the kitchen or dining room, the temptation to snack all day can be very hard to resist.
If you think the call of the kitchen might be too much, you could try to limit the number of sugary snacks you keep within easy reach. Or restrict yourself to one mid-morning coffee break at the same time you would take one in the office.
Don’t let office clutter creep into your living room
If you work from a living room, it’s amazing how quickly office clutter can sneak in. A file here, a stack of expense receipts there and before you know it, there are ‘office’ things out on display, which is the last thing you need when you’re trying to switch off at the end of the day.
Keep a basket or box just for office bits and pieces and sweep everything into it at the end of the day, then put it somewhere out of sight until you need it again.
If you work from a living room, it’s amazing how quickly office clutter can sneak in. A file here, a stack of expense receipts there and before you know it, there are ‘office’ things out on display, which is the last thing you need when you’re trying to switch off at the end of the day.
Keep a basket or box just for office bits and pieces and sweep everything into it at the end of the day, then put it somewhere out of sight until you need it again.
Shut down your computer at 6pm
With no commute home and no colleagues to wave you goodbye, there’s no clear cut-off point at the end of the day for the home worker. It’s very easy to keep the computer on all evening and answer emails as they ping through, or to keep working ‘in the background’ as you prepare dinner or watch TV.
If you find yourself still checking emails at 8 or 9pm, it’s time to shut down your computer and draw a line under the working day.
Do you work from home? Share your tips and advice in the Comments below.
With no commute home and no colleagues to wave you goodbye, there’s no clear cut-off point at the end of the day for the home worker. It’s very easy to keep the computer on all evening and answer emails as they ping through, or to keep working ‘in the background’ as you prepare dinner or watch TV.
If you find yourself still checking emails at 8 or 9pm, it’s time to shut down your computer and draw a line under the working day.
Do you work from home? Share your tips and advice in the Comments below.
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Great article. I am moving from a home with a separate home office into a home with just a desk in the den. It may be a bit challenging but I am preparing.... will have storage for files in another room and baskets for stuff. I start my work day at 9:00 am but am usually up before that and ready to go. I end my day around 6:00 pm and am quite diligent about not working too long/too late. Balance is important to me.
I've worked from home for the last 26 years. Agree with others - fit routine chores around screen breaks, make sure to get enough exercise, and keep your home-office self-contained and not spilling all over the house. The biggest issue, when the children were small, was the assumption that I could always drop everything because I was at home anyway. At times like that I'd have preferred to be working in an office so that we parents had to negotiate about who would take time off or leave work on the dot.