3 Tips for Better Work From Home Productivity
We all know that working from home saves time and money. You don’t have commute costs and you can save on your work wardrobe. However, home can be a very unproductive place to work. There are many distractions.With children and neighbors interrupting and the distraction of the television and household chores, it can be hard to get any real work done. Here are a few tips to help increase your productivity.
1. Consider childcare. Many parents choose to work from home so they can spend more time with their children. However, it can be very difficult to take care of children and work. Consider part time childcare. Something that worked well for me was to have a teenager come in for a few hours after school. This gave me a few hours to work without any distractions. It was a good time to make client phone calls, and I was only steps away if my children needed me.
2. Create a real office for yourself. Working at the kitchen table may seem economical, but it is not very ergonomic! Your office does not need to be a separate room, but a second hand desk, a high quality office chair, and good lighting go a long ways towards increasing productivity. Plus, you can let everyone know, that when you are at your desk you are working, and not to be bothered unless it is important.
3. Work With a Schedule. One of the appeals of working from home is that you can set your own hours. This is true, but make sure to have a schedule or a plan for your working hours. Have definite start and stop times, and schedule regular breaks for yourself. It may seem that you are more productive if you work 10 hours straight, but studies show that regular breaks increase productivity.
These are just some of the techniques that helped me to be more productive while working from home. What are your work from home productivity tips?
Moving
It is time to move. I am going to take the plunge and move this blog from blogger to Wordpress. So sometime soon I will be going offline for a bit, hopefully to reemerge better than ever with PR intact!
At the moment it doesn’t look too difficult, but we shall see!
Edit: Well the first try didn’t go so well. I’ll have to try again tomorrow.
Thank goodness for backups!
Watch Out For This Work From Home Scam
Not long ago, while looking for a work from home job, I responded to a job announcement for a work from home position as a finance manager. It sounded like the perfect position for me. I have worked in finance for a high tech company and know that many finance functions can be done from a home office. I sent my resume by email and was offered the job, by email, a few days later.
The email explained that my job would be collecting payments from customers, depositing the payments into my bank account, and then forwarding the money to the company, keeping a small percentage for myself. I don’t like doing accounts payable and putting the money in my bank account sounded a little odd, so I turned down the job offer. Now I am really glad I did.
I had assumed the job was working as a bill collector, but it turns out this is a new work from home scam. According to the Better Business Bureau:
In another scenario, a job seeker was hired to collect payments from clients in the U.S. and in turn wire the money to a company located overseas. The employee was instructed to keep a percentage of the money as his or her pay. The employee later found out that the collected payments were for non-existent merchandise sold through online auction sites. Auction bidders, would bid on an item and send in their payment to the seller, only to find out later that the merchandise never existed.
I am very happy I listened to my instincts and turned down the “job”.
Here are some tips from the Better Business Bureau to help you avoid this and other similar scams.
Job listings that use words like “package forwarding”, “reshipping”, “foreign agent agreements” should be approached with caution.
Legitimate jobs do not require you to use your own bank account. Deposits and transfers should be made from the employer’s bank account.
Never fax someone you don’t know copies of your driver’s license and social security card. They can use these to create fake ID’s, or your identity could be stolen.
If you are unsure if a business is legitimate check with the Better Business Bureau.
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Top 30 Tips for Staying Productive While Working From Home
I found this older post from ZenHabits today. I find that while I love working from home, I do sometimes find it hard to stay productive. There are so many distractions, and no one looking over my shoulder making sure I am working!
While I was reading the post I was struck by how much of the advice related to working at home the way you would work in an office. Things such as setting a schedule, limiting the number of hours you work, and taking breaks are all things that happen naturally with most “away from home” jobs. I tend to either have trouble getting started and spend all day procrastinating, or I get so involved in my work I work 12 or 14 hours straight and forget to eat. Honestly, I’m not sure how productive I really am after 10 hours of working without eating!
While all 30 work from home tips were great the last tip was my favorite.
30. Be grateful you’re working from home and not in some cubicle! That gratitude will motivate you to work harder, so you can continue to work from home.
So click on over to ZenHabits to read the rest of the 30 work from home tips, and find even more great tips in the comments.
Would you like to share your best tips for staying productive while working from home? Comment with them here and I’ll put them all together in a WFH Pro post and give you credit!
Those of you who know the joys of working from home, whether you’re self-employed or freelancing or telecommuting, know also the joys of procrastination and the lures of laying on the couch. Now, I’m as much in favor of a good nap as the next guy, but a nap should be a break, not your default work mode….
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