Perfecting Your Work-from-Home Routine

If you have the luxury of working from home, you should consider yourself incredibly lucky. There's nothing like doing your job from the comfort of your own home, especially when the weather is bad. However, this act can sometimes be challenging because houses offer up many more distractions than an office. Here are some tips for perfecting your work-from-home routine:

Give Yourself a Work Environment

Typing away while lying on your couch or bed might sound nice, but it can actually do you more harm than good. If you're working from home, it's best not to do it in your bed. You need to be able to draw a stark line between rest and work. With the blending of the two, your productivity level will go down. Try to sit at a desk if you have one or your kitchen table. If you're feeling restricted, it's OK to move to a comfier seat, but don't stay too long. Some people have home offices, but others have to make do with what they have. 

Let There Be Light
If you wake up and get straight to work, you may be working without enough light and not even realizing it. Before you turn on your computer, flick all the lights on in your home. The brighter it is, the more it will feel like an office, and the easier it will be to get your job done. In addition, darkness can put a severe strain on your eyes, which could cause headaches. Don't risk it, and turn the lights up so you can mimic the environment you normally are in while working.

Get Out of the House
While working from home, you can become so engrossed that, before you know it, you've spent an entire day without even walking outside. This lack of outside world can limit your creativity. Do your best to get yourself out of there. It doesn't matter where you go, whether it's getting a cup of coffee in the morning or picking up lunch in the afternoon. Or, if it's nice outside, try to work out there. 

If you don't feel yourself being productive, you don't have to stay at your home. Working from a coffee shop still constitutes as working from home. Sometimes all people need is a little change of scenery.

Get a Head Start
Most people spend at least an hour of their day commuting to and from their job. By working from home, you should be able to reclaim your commuting time, according to Inc. Start a little earlier so that you can end a little earlier. In addition, you could also win back a little time by not getting ready in the morning. 

Take Breaks
Being in your home, you might feel like the entire day is a break. Unfortunately, this kind of thinking can be harmful to you. Even though you might be at your house, you still need some time off throughout the day. Go for a walk or read a chapter in a book. Sometimes the best thing is to get away from your work and come back to it refreshed and with more concentration. 

Rid Your Home of Distractions
Distractions can be the downside of working from home. There, you have complete access to television, music and even people in your life. Odds are, the television playing in the background isn't helping you work. If you have other people in your home, close the door so you can have peace and quiet. If you let them know you need to work, they should respect your time. But don't forget to respect your time yourself. No one is there to force you to work, so you're going to have to do it yourself. Getting carried away with distractions will only harm your workload in the long run.