Guide To Working From Home

By: Katy O’Dowd  (katyodowd.com).

Guide To Working From Home

Now, if you’re anything like me – and I’m not for one moment suggesting that you are – there are days that can run a little like this:

No matter how busy, ambitious and organised you are, there are still going to be days when the Faffing Fairy visits and sprinkles you with do-no-work dust. The problem with those days seems to be that although they are lovely at the time, they don’t half break concentration. So here are a few things, in no particular order, that have helped me – or helped to keep the temptations away.

Have your own workspace

Be it a corner of your bedroom (which works well for me, thank you IKEA), an office space/spare room, or a shed at the bottom of your garden, have your sacred space where nobody is allowed to disturb you during working hours.

Time manage

Write everything down. Create a workflow chart. Use paper and pencil. But write everything down. And work out how long everything is going to take. Use a timer if you need to. And then do it.

Have rituals

But keep them to a minimum. Constant email/Facebook/eBay/forum/blog checking can really eat into your day. And too many cups of tea will make you hyper and have you spending way too much time on the loo.

Tell friends and family you are working

And by that I mean that just because you work from home, it does not mean that you are available for phone calls, ‘I called in because I was in the area’ chats, and cups of tea with your auntie/mother who lives around the corner.

The Nifty 350

I borrowed (stole) this idea from a book I read about creative writing, and it’s a great exercise. It is geared towards writing because that’s what I do, but I’m sure it will work just as well for those of you that do clever things with computer programmes and designs and things.

The idea is that first thing in the morning you sit down and write 350 words on anything at all. It can be complete nonsense, but it gets your fingers on the keys and your brain firing up. And then when you stop for your morning cuppa, you feel like you’ve actually achieved something which in turn fires you up for the rest of the working day.

And if all else fails, take an email/internet sabbatical. And stop drinking tea… never!

Comments

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