With the advancement of technology and the ongoing economic downturn, the number of people working from home continues to rise. If you work from home, you can achieve savings in both time and money. Here’s how:

  • You will reroute the time you used to spend driving to work, exercise, and family.
  • Flexible hours give you near-total control over your work schedule. If you need to wake up early or stay up until late to reach a deadline, it’s possible, and you’re just minutes away from bed.
  • You are able to save money on clothes. Transportation costs such as petrol, car repairs, tolls, parking, and train or bus fare decrease.

On the other hand, be wary of assumptions and misperceptions that can wreak havoc on your home productivity. In this section, I’ll show you how to set up your office away from the office.

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Creating an environment that encourages solid concentration

  • When it comes to choosing a place for your home office, you want something that will affect your productivity and ability to manage your time effectively. Consider trying these tips to nurture your efficiency when the space is less than ideal, or when you struggle to focus on work even when your place is ideal.
  • Choose a spot that is out of the way. Look for a place that is yours alone, away from traffic and noise, where you can shut the door and put a do-not-disturb sign on the knob. The more your office is out of the way, the better you’ll be able to make use of your time.
  • It’s not a good idea to set up your home office in Hub Central — your home’s family hub — where there are no physical boundaries.

If your office location isn’t perfect, use other physical obstacles

If your home office isn’t in a private area of the house and your doors are glass, your only protection is a shade or visual barrier. When children see you “not working” (that is, thinking), they can assume it is time to play. The other necessary item is a lock on the door, which announces that you are occupied and unreachable.

Putting up restrictions as well as putting yourself in a job mood

I can’t emphasize enough how creating and adhering to a set of guidelines for yourself as well as your immediate family and friends improves your chances of success when working from home. By drawing a line between your work and personal time, you allow yourself to be fully present with each — and presence is a key component of productivity. Follow these suggestions to build a set of boundaries for yourself:

Treat a day at home as if it were a day at the office.

Begin your day at the same time you would begin your commute to office and end it at the same time you would end your work day. Take just a half-hour lunch (but make sure you eat the half-hour lunch). Regular start and stop times, as well as set lunch breaks, help everyone to recognize and adhere to your schedule.

Begin early

If you work from home, you can find, as most office workers do, that you are most productive before others arrive. That’s before your household wakes up for the day in the home office world.

Drеss fоr succеss

You lose the empowering feeling you get when you don’t have to shower, or put on office clothes because you don’t have to. If you need formal attire to work better and are negatively affected by remaining in pajamas for the majority of the day, get up, shower, and dress as if you were going to the workplace. If you feel successful, you will be successful regardless of where you work.

Create a list of priorities for yourself

Set goals in terms of completed work and reward yourself for achieving them, just as you would at the office.

During your working day, do not answer personal calls

Using a home office to increase your productivity is a deceptive act. Others adopt the attitude that you aren’t really working; people who wouldn’t think of interrupting you at work to chew the fat just because you’re at home. This is something that a lot of people are guilty of. Be strong but polite:

“Please accept my apologies. I’d love to chat, but I’m currently at work. I’ll call you at five o’clock when I’m done, okay?”

Intеrruрtiоn frоm уоur fаmily mеmbеr

Trаin уоur fаmlу patiently on уоur wоrk sсhеdulе and еtiquеttе. You might want to set aside periods when interruptions are tolerated.

It’s time to call it a day

Being able to work long hours will reduce the quality and quantity of family time. Define the limits. Leave the office at the door.

Give yourself uninterrupted time to compact and day. A commute gives you the opportunity to change gears. You go from CEO, salesperson, manager, assistant, or customer service representative to Dаddу, Mommy, and wife on the way home. The shift is over when you exit your home office door, and you’re on! So, when you’re done for the day, take ten minutes to declutter before leaving.  You may engage in some relaxing activities to leave the stresses of the day behind.