Recently, I took a position that sent me working remotely from another city with a mixture of working on the road and working at home. Lately, there’s been a lot of working at home at all hours of the day. The transition from working in an office to working at home was hard to get used to. I don’t HAVE to wake up at 6:30am anymore. I don’t HAVE to take an hour lunch anymore. I don’t HAVE to work from 8am to 5pm anymore. I can work at 7pm or 7am, or I can work on weekends if I need to catch up. After a few months of working at home, there are four things that I wanted to share that I have learned about working efficiently and successfully while at home:

1. Turn off the TV! Actually, get rid of any distractions that may wander your imagination. The television was the first thing I got rid of. I watch the news in the morning, and then the TV goes off until my wife gets home around 5pm. I like to watch “Pardon the Interruption” on ESPN at 5:30pm. I don’t think music is a distraction. It may actually help me to work more efficiently. It keeps my mind stimulated and motivated. Listen to something soothing and rhythmic.
2. Keep your work space organized. I like to make sure that my work space gets organized by the end of the week. It’s nice to come back to my desk on monday without tons of papers scattered everywhere. Make sure you have a dedicated work space as well. Try to keep that desk the desk that you use only for work. It’s best if you can have an entire room dedicated as your office. You might want to even put a lock on the door for more privacy and to keep the kids or the wife out of there.
3. Keep a normal schedule. I have begun to establish a schedule that is similar to the schedule I kept when I was working in the office. I wake up around 6:30 or 7, and then I eat breakfast, shower, and read the news on the internet along with some of my favorite blogs. Then, I get started working. I take a small lunch break to clear my head around 12:30 or 1pm. I usually finish my work between 4:30pm and 5:30pm. Once you start putting off work during normal work hours, you’ll find yourself doing work late at night and on the weekends. This will start taking away from family time, and you’ll ultimately become a less happy person. Your schedule is crucial, so don’t slack off with this!
4. Take frequent breaks.Take a 10 or 15 minutes break about every hour and a half to two hours. You need to clear you head and rest your brain. If you try to knock out work in 4 or 5 hour chunks of time, you’ll find yourself getting more distracted and ultimately being less productive.

Working from home definitely has its advantages. You have a flexible schedule, no one is looking over your shoulder, and have a lot of freedom. But with freedom brings much more responsibility. Consider these tips, and you’ll develop habits that help you to be a more productive and less-stressed worker.