Simon Mackie

Working from home has advantages and disadvantages. On the positive side, you can set up your office just as you like, if there are domestic chores to be done or deliveries to be taken you’re at home, and, of course, if you feel like it, you can work in your PJ’s.  The disadvantages, though, are many: easily getting distracted, working long hours, and feeling isolated are the three big issues for me. In particular, when I first started working from home, I would find that I was starting work late, not leaving the house, and working well into the evening. Having no separation between work and home makes it feel like you’re always at work. For me, if work is ever-present (rather than the clearly delineated office day), I find it much harder to focus.

Here are a few tips that I’ve accumulated:

1. I always start the day by leaving the house at the same time. This could be getting up to go the gym, or simply going to a newsagent to buy a paper (I usually go to the gym three times per week). This achieves three things: it gets me into a regular work routine, it means that I have to get dressed, and it means when I do start work I am already focussed and ready to go (mostly!)
2. Have regularly scheduled breaks.
3. If I’m finding it hard to focus, I stop. Either just take a break or leave the house and work somewhere else.
4. If possible, have a separate office. This means that, at the end of the day, you can shut the door and leave the work behind.  Unfortunately, in my current flat, I don’t have a spare room, so what I’m doing is working from the kitchen - but that’s still better than working in the lounge.
5. A decent, tidy office setup. Clutter is distracting, and tapping away on a laptop sitting on your lap will damage your back.
6. Fast, reliable internet is an absolute must-have. Nothing is more annoying than trying to get something done an losing connectivity.

I also recently asked my friends on Twitter for their working-from-home tips and got some great answers (see, Twitter is useful sometimes!):

• find ways to get out of the house as part of work. I usually start the day at a coffee shop. get me out and around people (gblakeman)
• Wear shoes for ‘work’. Creates a mental trigger in the evening - take them off - working day’s over. (markboulton)
• big tip: if you’ve got two computers (home and work) put them in separate rooms (sil)
• Working at home? Take breaks, be fairly strict with your time but find out when and how you work best. Get a decent chair! (hereinthehive)

One final thing to check out if you’re finding working from home too isolating is co-working. There are co-working spaces springing up all over nowadays, and the great thing about them is that they give you the opportunity to network with other people in your field. I know I’ll be checking some out in the New Year.

What are your tips for working from home?