Photo courtesy of the trial Top 30 Tips for Staying Productive and Sane While Working From Home
“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.” - Benjamin Franklin
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.
On the other hand, working from home tends to blur the boundaries between work and personal life — if you work too hard, you will have no personal life left.
So how do we stay productive, and at the same time stay sane? As I recently quit my day job, I asked the readers for their advice. They came through, as always, and I’ve chosen a few of my favorites for others to use as a guide (well, I’m going to use it as a guide too).
A few caveats, before you dive into the list: Again, these are from the readers, so you guys deserve all the credit. Second, I edited them, so any typos are my fault. Third, this is a compilation list, meaning that some tips may seem contradictory — that’s because the best way to use this list is to find the ideas that work for you, and give them a try. If they don’t work, come back to the list and find a few more ideas. Don’t try to implement them all, and certainly not all at once.
Thank you, readers!
1. Define your spaces; separate work from home. Have a room dedicated to working. Don’t do it wherever you happen to be. Set aside some space, preferably a room (it doesn’t have to be big) to be your workspace. That way, when you enter it, you know consciously what you’re there to do: go to work. It changes the state of mind from “I’m at home” to “I’m at work”.
2. Set regular hours, and stick to the schedule.
3. Don’t stay unshaved in pajamas. Instead, have breakfast, have a shower, get dressed. Then make a list of sensible tasks for the day and get started.
4. Close the door. It’ll be very easy to leave the door to whatever room or space you set apart to be your workplace open. Don’t do it. If the door is open, that represents something to you, and to your family. To you, it represents the idea that if it’s a bit tough, or you don’t feel like working today, you don’t have to. To your family, it represents the idea that Dad is around, and I can go and talk to him.
5. Keep your desk and general work area tidy. A tidy workspace helps keep a tidy mind, which helps make your day more productive.
6. Turn off the telephone when you need to work without distraction. Turn off IM and email notifications too. In fact, if possible, shut off the Internet.
7. Don’t stop working if it’s a hard day. There’ll be times when you haven’t got any ideas, or just don’t feel productive. Train yourself to do some work anyway. It’s a short fall from “It’s just not happening at the moment” to “It’s a bit tough, I’ll stop for the day”. Next thing you know, you never seem to get anything done.
8. Keep three lists of three. The first list has three things you will do today. The second is three things you’d like to get done, but aren’t essential. The third is three things that need to be done at some point. That way, when you’ve trogged through your days work, you don’t end up sitting twiddling your thumbs.
9. Start the day properly. Have a good breakfast, spend some time alone to just sit and do whatever. Relax, let your mind wander. Pray. Just make sure that your mind isn’t in the “I hate working” frame of mind.
10. Have a good chair. Mesh backed ones, or good comfy leather perhaps. It’s worth spending some money on.
11. Keep a notepad and pencil nearby. Jot down ideas for blog posts, projects, anything that springs to mind. Then have a pinboard to stick them on. Look at it twice a week to refresh your mind of things that could be done sometime. Some of the best work you’ll ever do will come from random bits of inspiration.
12. Give yourself breaks. Don’t be locked in the room all the time. For every hour you work, have a 15-30 minute break. Give your mind time to digest what it’s just done, then come back. You’ll improve the quality of what you produce a hundredfold.
13. Don’t go back to work when you’ve finished. Had a great idea for a post? Fantastic, write down the basics on a note, and pin it up. Don’t go back to work when you’ve finished.
14. Schedule, if possible, around your natural schedule. Some people peak in the morning, others in the afternoon, still others at the witching hour.
15. Have a pint of water by your desk all the time. Try and work up to drinking a few pints a day, if you don’t already.
16. Be careful what music you listen to while you work. Music, TV, the weather… Just about everything will influence your mood. Some you can’t change, some you can. Make sure that you surround yourself with things that will give you the best frame of mind for whatever you’re about to do.
17. No turning on the computer for a quick email check or to do 1 little thing until you’ve gotten “ready for work” as mentioned above. The nuance is if you have nowhere to be, that 1 little thing leads to showering at 2 in the afternoon with a splitting headache because you’ve forgotten to eat etc.
18. Know when to stop. Don’t work late into the night. Set defined times when you’re going to work, and then when it passes, stop. You can have a bit of leeway here, but make sure that you don’t end up letting work run your life.
“Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” - Ovid
19. Don’t work an eight hour day. One reader works about 5 hours, in four blocks of an hour, with a 20 minute gap between each. If you do more than that, your attention might start to wander, you’ll be restless and your work won’t have it’s normal level of quality.
20. Designate certain days for certain work. For example: file everything on Friday afternoon, no later than Saturday morning. This allows you to walk out of your office for your “weekend” without feeling like you left work unfinished.
21. Set boundaries for those around you as well. Schedule your work time and make sure the kids and spouse know that you are unavailable for playing, chores, etc. during this time.
22. Sound Canceling Headphones. Seriously useful if you have a 3-year-old.
23. Pay attention and crunch numbers with your accounts regularly. You are less inclined to watch television when you realise how much it can cost you to mess around. Put a reminder that “work NOT done = no money”.
24. Have a good lunch. One readers suggested that something with good carb content works best. Puts you in the mood for the second half of the day.
25. Track your time. One reader suggested a simple program called gtimelog (http://mg.pov.lt/gtimelog/). You enter what you’ve done when you’ve completed it. It’s very simple and stays out of your way. At the end of the day, week, you can see a summary. It also allows you to break out work time vs. fun time in a simple manner.
26. Set online times. You don’t always need to be accessible for chit chat. This may be more applicable to telecommuters than the self-employed.
27. Don’t allow work to consume your life. Easier said than done when working from home. Make sure you set limits for the amount of time you will work.
28. Make time for people. When people ask, give them what you can. Respond in some way to every email. It doesn’t matter how long it takes you to get around to it. You don’t have to reply that day. Just make sure you do. It matters.
29. Say thank you a lot. Figure out who the people who have helped you and your blog (or your business) the most. If you’re a blogger, that’s the readers, not the people who gave you mentions on their big blogs. The people who have given their time and energy to helping you get where you are. You owe your life from this point on to them. Make sure they know you’re greatful.
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.
See also: an excellent post at Productivity 501 on this topic (disclosure: I was one of the ones interviewed).
And lastly: EffingTheDog, a humorous productivity blog, interviewed me recently. Check it out. It’s a Stephen Colbert-type interview, so take it as a bit of fun.
If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us or on Digg. I’d appreciate it. :)
- Posted on 24 January 2008 in Productivity & Organization |
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Comments (84)
ActiveEngine Sensei Says:
January 24th, 2008, 20:40 pm
Showering, grooming and dressing as though you were about to meet someone for a business lunch or meeting does wonders in a subconscious fashion. It sets that rhythm in motion to can only compel you to work and be successful.
Discipline is the mind liberator, and helps you get things done in far many more creative ways than by random trial and error.
John D. Says:
January 24th, 2008, 20:41 pm
You have some great suggestions. I have to work on the part about not staying up late at night working. My wife has to get up between 5:00am and 5:15am to leave for her job and I often will start working after the alarm goes off. Then I take a break when she comes home at 4:00pm until she goes to bed and work until about 11:00pm then read until almost midnight.
Mike Says:
January 24th, 2008, 20:50 pm
It’s funny, I have been working at home for a while now and I was reading through this list and can only relate to one thing on it.
I have a fantastic chair.
Sometimes I relish in the fact that I can wake up, brush my teeth, sit down at the computer wearing exactly what I woke up (usually work out clothes) and star being productive. No breakfast, no shower, just a quick walk with the dog and off to Getting Things Done. I missed the original thread on this where you asked people for suggestions and since I apparently do the opposite of most of these things (My workstation is ten feet from my bed!) maybe I will should share a few of my principles in case there are any other radicles like myself out there:
1. Dry Erase Board. List your tasks, have fun crossing them off as they get done. I wake up not to work, but for the joy of crossing things off that list.
2. Digital Smoke Breaks. Basically I fill in gaps by willingly wasting time on the web. For example, I’m here right now. If I just accept the fact that I am going to entertain myself, I might as well weave it into my work discipline. This way I get all the benefits of wasting time with no guilt or lost productivity.
3. Love what you do. I work in art direction and interactive design, and it helps that I completely love it. I look at type-faces and I see art in every glyph. Every shade of every color is a new possibility. Having to sit down and get thing done even when I don’t feel like it is made all the easier by remembering this simple idea “I chose to do this and I love it”.
4. Rigorous physical activity. I keep a 6 day work out schedule that involves things like boxing and yoga and other fluffy practices and tis contrast in my life is important. I don’t feel like a stale body sitting around the house all day because come a certain point in each day I am going to experience being a body, and not a head in front of a screen.
5. Don’t work. Sometimes if I am not “feeling it” I just go with that and don’t do anything and I don’t feel guilty about it. I never miss a deadline and it is more important to me to work when I feel like working rather than constantly be at the effect of this machine that always demands my time.
Personally I feel like I am successful at working from home, but I also have the benefit of brilliant co-workers who I stay in contact with each day and a very strong personal disciplinary base from years of physical study. Having a good support system is probably the most important thing of all. Really cool article, I enjoyed reading!
David P. Says:
January 24th, 2008, 20:52 pm
As of this year, i have decided to work from home, on average I was spending 30+weeks a year travelling away. so this is going to be a great change, I’m glad i found this site and look forward to any comments suggestions ….
cheers
d
Charlie Says:
January 24th, 2008, 20:58 pm
Awesome guide, Leo. Its great how you productively incorporated the tips from the readers to make an awesome collection of tips.
Keep up the great work,
Charlie
Creator of ‘Chaz’s Notes’
Personal Development for the Modern Age
http://ich4z.blogspot.com
Never the Same River Twice Says:
January 24th, 2008, 21:18 pm
It’s funny how a lot of these tips basically suggest re-creating a cube farm environment in your own home. One of the things I love MOST about my work-at-home days is having the freedom to do laundry at 10am and write a report at 8pm. I guess I need to be more flexible to stay creative.
Nez Says:
January 24th, 2008, 21:27 pm
Excellent tips.
I would agree with Mike about getting on a regular workout schedule - healthy body, healthy mind and all that.
Maybe tip #12 or #27 can be modified?
Andreas Rilinger Says:
January 24th, 2008, 22:32 pm
Thanks for summarising the great tips. This tips are not only worth for working from home, but also for learning for university. It’s important to be disciplined and selforganised. Thats what I am heading for in the future. Great to read from so many different people.
Kristy Says:
January 24th, 2008, 22:33 pm
Thank you so much for outlining the suggestion blog! This is an awesome summary!
ZenHabits from Leo’s home will be here in no time!! :P
banji Says:
January 24th, 2008, 22:45 pm
I actually did make a compilation of all the tips, just for my personal use :) Now I’m going to just use yours… It’s written better
I do have a question though, One reader actually brought up an interesting view that working from home is supposed to be different from the regular 9-5 hours. It should be less hours and thus we can give more to the family.
However most of the advice given (especially mine :) ) are suggesting to abide with the same culture of 9-5 hours working to keep the mentality of being responsible.
What do you think, Leo?
Chet Says:
January 24th, 2008, 23:19 pm
Hello from Malaysia.
Just wanted to say my favourite suggestion from your list is #30 - Be grateful you’re working from home and not in some cubicle!
Yay to that!
Keep up the good work, Leo. I look forward to buying a copy of your book when it’s published!
Warren Says:
January 24th, 2008, 23:58 pm
Since I recently became fully self employed, I am definitely taking this advice to heart.
Simon Jones Says:
January 25th, 2008, 0:20 am
I read this and feel bad that I am so bad at this. If the sun is shining it’s a day off in my book. Frtunately for me I live in England and we don’t often see the sun so work kinda, sorta gets done. :-)
Eugene (Editor, Varsity Blah) Says:
January 25th, 2008, 1:43 am
The most important is to combine the structure/discipline of a “regular” job with the freedom/control of working from home. It’s the best of both worlds!
esvl Says:
January 25th, 2008, 2:19 am
I am currently not doing one of these things. Maybe I should print this.
banji Says:
January 25th, 2008, 3:07 am
Eugene - Well said, that is definitely the ideal way of working from home. I wonder if we can come up with tips on how to balance the two
AJ Says:
January 25th, 2008, 3:23 am
Great Post… I’ve recently found that waking up real early and getting work done and out of the way ( 6:00am to 11:00am) works amazing for me. And leaves me with the feeling that I still have the day.
Turning off all distractions and time tracking are great at keeping focused… For time tracking I recommend trying toggl.com really easy.
Kristin Says:
January 25th, 2008, 3:54 am
Wow ~ those are all great tips… I need to print that list out and tape it to my alarm clock to stay motivated!!!
Will definitely be re-reading….regularly!
Thanks!
Kristin
Maira Carvalho Says:
January 25th, 2008, 4:16 am
About tip #25, I think it is one of the best tools for working at home. First because it gives you the idea of how much time you actually spend working. Second because whenever I have my timer running, I feel less inclined to procrastinate, or at least I stop the timer to do it - and then feel guilty about not working!
I strongly recommend the software http://slimtimer.com. It has changed my life ;)
Toby Graham Says:
January 25th, 2008, 4:41 am
one word willpower, or as i like to call it tobypower. If you got work to do, do it, how does the clothes you wear have any bearing on that. It bothers me that will/tobypower is never mentioned anywhere anymore, a simply fact of training yourself to do what you have to rather than what you might want to do.
Never the Same River Twice I totally agree.
Paulo Eduardo Neves Says:
January 25th, 2008, 8:54 am
It’s great to work from home. It’s terrible to live in your work!
Jeff Yablon Says:
January 25th, 2008, 8:56 am
Brilliant! Perfect! Amazing!
Serioualy, the first time I’ve seen a post like this that not only “made sense”, but was worth holding onto, and passing along.
I’ve worked from home for most of my career, and at one time or another I’ve had to learn every one of those lessons. Now, I have many at-home workers reporting to me, looking for ‘the balance’ and needing to be kept on point. And you’ve done a better treatise on the subject than I’ve ever seen.
Thank you!
Jeff Yablon
President & CEO
Virtual VIP
http://virtual.answerguy.com
Kristy Says:
January 25th, 2008, 10:23 am
Great comments herein!
Eugene - SO true what you said! I believe that discipline is the overall key. Many people struggle for success in unstructured/self-structured (boss - less) environments simply due to lack of self-discipline. I am one of them. Seems the most popular advice I’ve found is the “self-reward” system, but that doesn’t work for me. So, my self the boss is incorporating Leo’s number 8 in hopes of lessening that challenge.
And Leo, if you ever sit around in your office twiddling your thumbs instead of wandering into other parts of the house, I want to know about it! :D
成 Says:
January 25th, 2008, 11:30 am
Wow ~ those are all great tips… I need to print that list out and tape it to my alarm clock to stay motivated!
Michelle Says:
January 25th, 2008, 11:59 am
Not sure if someone has mentioned this or not, but it will be tempting to forego childcare to save money. Not that kids need to be out of the house at daycare, but the fact of the matter is that you are working from home and it will become very stressful to be constantly interrupted and the net effect may be resentment toward your child. It is money well spent to have a nanny during the hours you will be working. Of course the beauty of working from home is you have the choice to step out and give your child a hug, take a break and drive them to dance etc. Choice is so powerful!
Brick Andrews Says:
January 25th, 2008, 12:14 pm
There is a nice overlap here with the ideas behind the “4-Hour Workweek” movement. The biggest item of overlap is working from home in the first place. For employees moving towards a so-called 4-hour workweek, one of the primary goals is to liberate yourself from the office and be able to work remotely. Once remote, whether self-employed or not, you still have to get things done - and this list is very useful. I find it interesting that one item is an explicit admonition not to work 8 hours a day! I think that is great - it should be about how productive you can be, not how many hours you put in!
Cesar Diaz Says:
January 25th, 2008, 13:04 pm
Thanks for the article. This article are very important for my job, I usually work around ten hours in programming and systems administration and read this remember me good practices for my job.
bye
Kyle @ Rather-Be-Shopping.com Says:
January 25th, 2008, 13:56 pm
“7. Don’t stop working if it’s a hard day.”
I work from home and have for the past 5 years. I think your list is great, but I would amend #7, if the day is tough don’t keep working, it will only get tougher, instead take your digital smoke break. Take a 15 mintue walk, or go mow the lawn. Come back to the office and your mind will be ready to go again. Has worked wonders for me.
Double Danger Says:
January 25th, 2008, 16:42 pm
Great list here. I am definitely going to use a few of these to my advantage. #30 - absolutely, how soon we forget about it.
Akram Says:
January 25th, 2008, 16:48 pm
The list is great.. thanks for compiling it.. i will start implementing it right from tomorrow.. I have been working at home form 2 months and seriously have very little productivity .. now i know i have been doing so many things the wrong way…
Thanks again…
Bob Says:
January 25th, 2008, 17:22 pm
dont’ turn on the computer “for one quick thing”? what work from home job do you have that doesn’t involved a computer? construction?
jj Says:
January 25th, 2008, 17:24 pm
i work from home and i abuse it shamelessly. i am often wracked with guilt.
Okrim Al Qasal Says:
January 25th, 2008, 17:56 pm
11. Keep a notepad and pencil nearby. Jot down ideas for blog posts, projects, anything that springs to mind. Then have a pinboard to stick them on. Look at it twice a week to refresh your mind of things that could be done sometime. Some of the best work you’ll ever do will come from random bits of inspiration.
Blog post? WTF??? Not everybody can live of blog posting like you!
Braintrove.com Says:
January 25th, 2008, 17:56 pm
Great list. Have been doing much of this for a while!
Stationstops.com Says:
January 25th, 2008, 19:58 pm
I’ve been wfh for 7 years, this is a great list.
By far the most important I think is to get up, get dressed, have breakfast, do your minor daily chores (make bed, put away dishes, take out trash…), update your TODO list, and make your phone calls before hitting the keyboard.
Char Says:
January 25th, 2008, 21:39 pm
As someone who is looking to delve into self-employment these are really excellent ideas.
banji Says:
January 25th, 2008, 22:31 pm
Another amazing thing I noticed is that out of 39 commenters, 13 are actually working from home. That’s a rough figure, and I know that some does comment more than once.
That fact alone is a motivation for me to work harder and aim to be self employed in a few years.. Wish me luck!
matthew Says:
January 25th, 2008, 23:47 pm
Hi guys… I am a hard working harley tech in a rural new england town. During the winter i have alot of trouble paying the bills. Since you all are in the know about working at home. Any tips on how i can aquire said job.
My email is Matthewl3uckman@yahoo.com and any help is appretiated. Thank you
Dan Says:
January 26th, 2008, 1:24 am
19. Don’t work an eight hour day. - yeah right. So if you go into the office you work 8 hours but when you work at home the advice is to work less? For those of us lucky enough to work from home, you should work at least as long as you would do at the office, otherwise its called taking advantage.
Leo Says:
January 26th, 2008, 1:34 am
Thanks for the comments, everyone! It’s great to hear from you all, especially those who are already working from home. For those who aren’t, if this article inspired you a bit, I’m very happy!
Leo Says:
January 26th, 2008, 1:38 am
@Bob: Actually, if you read that entry carefully, it means that you should turn on the computer *before* you get ready for work (shower, get dressed, etc.). After that, of course you would turn on the computer. Thanks for allowing me to clarify!
@Okrim: Taking notes for ideas for blog posts is just an example. Of course you’d jot down ideas for whatever it is you’re working on. Just adapt the ideas for your work.
Miss Gisele from myBeautyMatch.com Says:
January 26th, 2008, 1:50 am
Well Leo,
If this list of 30 tips on keeping productivity high while working at home doesn’t prevent a lot of readers from channel surfing all day long, I don’t know what will.
This might be your longest post to date.
I’ve been reading your blog since September and I don’t recall seeing such a long and complete list.
Great tips!!!
Gisele
Kim McGinnis Says:
January 26th, 2008, 5:01 am
Leo,
What a great post - I’m fairly new to your blog, but I intend to stop by on a regular basis. I am recently self-employed and loving it. I particularly like the “say thank you alot” entry. Gratitude and kindness go along way in making success last and giving work meaning. I look forward to reading more!
All The Best
Kim
Hussain A. Says:
January 26th, 2008, 5:58 am
Wow, those are some pretty good advices, this could help me a lot while studying for my exams, since I always gets distracted which leads to me not finishing what I was doing.
Ben Goldman Says:
January 26th, 2008, 8:30 am
Excellent advice. I often find that I just try to do too much all at once. Your idea of slowing down and taking frequent breaks is a sensible and practical solution to burnout. Thanks for the great article!
Ben Goldman
http://www.discountenlightenment.com
G2D2 Says:
January 26th, 2008, 11:01 am
This workout video shows some simple exercises that one can perform at home to stay active and feel great!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU
CatherineL Says:
January 26th, 2008, 16:26 pm
Those are great tips. I struggle to seperate work from home - my house is just too small.
matthew s. Says:
January 26th, 2008, 16:52 pm
I have a standing desk that I bought from Ikea, and i love it. Better than a comfy chair, it keeps me active and alert.
Mike Peach Says:
January 26th, 2008, 23:16 pm
Sorry, but have to disagree with almost everything here.
The great advantage of working from home is that you can integrate it with family life. I work weird hours from the kitchen counter. The kids float around, watch what I am doing, sit on my lap, demand breakfast etc.
Sometimes I work from bed with the laptop. Again the family gathers around discussing what may be important that day, or not as the case may be.
I might sit by the pool in my trunks, or on the sofa in front of the TV. I might work for two hours or for 20 depending on energy levels at the time.
The secret is to integrate work into family life, not to separate the two. Kids need to learn from you that work and play are interconnected, neither has any value without the other.
So forget the room, having a shower, tidying up etc etc. They are all remnants of your previous existence. You are on a new path now so discover the joys of it rather than repeating the mistakes of your previous existence.
Rick Sterner Says:
January 27th, 2008, 5:49 am
Excellent advice for anyone working from home. Starting the day properly is good advice. It is very easy to “let yourself go” and get a little on the lazy side while working from home. I try to have breakfast, shower and dress as if starting the day at a regular office job.
John Says:
January 27th, 2008, 9:13 am
No one mentioned good headphones. I have 5 kids and when telecommute i always use my BOSE QC2s.
Dianne Says:
January 27th, 2008, 15:02 pm
I came over here from “these are the days” - great blog, I’ll be back.
I’ve been working on my own for over 15 years but only 4 years from home. Still haven’t found my stride. All this advice is great.
My #1 issue is folks who treat me as though I’m not working since I’m home - I have trouble managing them.
Jason Simon Says:
January 27th, 2008, 18:30 pm
I think a good approach is to think open, think different. Working at home or at the office can be difficult.
Randomguru Says:
January 27th, 2008, 20:07 pm
These are great tips I personally need to follow, being that I have been a stay-at-home Dad, plus musician and working at home as well. Thanks for your post. Very helpful!
BMoney Says:
January 28th, 2008, 0:26 am
Great post, its only January you’ve already written the best post of the year!
Chris Regnery Says:
January 28th, 2008, 7:42 am
Leo,
Fantastic post! This advice can be applied to my twice over, in fact. On the one hand, for the health-related website I run, and on the other, for all the college classes I take independently.
If you don’t separate your different hemispheres, you will surely crash and burn. I am typing this from the “Party Room” in my apartment complex. Completely alone, with free wireless, at 5:30 in the morning. Life doesn’t get any better than this, my friend.
I currently separate work/school from personal, but how could I further separate work from school? I currently wake up, do some work, then try and go do other things before returning to the same environment for school. What would be the best way to separate everything to truly give my mind a fresh start?
Much Love,
Chris Regnery
Grow Smarter, Grow Faster, GrowStronger.com!
Chris Regnery Says:
January 28th, 2008, 7:45 am
Mike Peach,
That certainly sounds wonderful in theory; however, many of us, myself included, do not have the self-discipline in order to get away with that.
If I tried to, I would simply stay in bed, procrastinate, and not do anything that day.
Much Love,
Chris Regnery
Grow Smarter, Grow Faster, GrowStronger.com
Brick Andrews Says:
January 28th, 2008, 9:44 am
Dan mentions: “For those of us lucky enough to work from home, you should work at least as long as you would do at the office, otherwise its called taking advantage.”
With all due respect, this kind of feedback is a little misguided. For most people who work from home (and hopefully for most who work in an office as well), you get paid to produce certain results. Productivity should always trump any simpler metric such as hours logged. Often, due to management not setting clear goals or putting in place a method of easily evaluating performance against a set of objectives, managers revert to simpler schemes like hours spent on a task. This is naive at best.
Let me ask, which is better: an employee who produces a great report in four hours and goes to the mall the rest of the day, or an employee who spends eight hours to produce a report that is just ok? At the end of the day, each employee is getting paid to write a report - personally I would rather have the best report.
Or, how about this: when you call a supplier with a customer service issue, do you actually care about how long they work each day? Of course not. What you care about it getting your needs met or your issue resolved.
Note: some people are actually paid to be available (e.g. call center associates, assembly line workers, and emergency services personnel like firemen and abulance drivers). I am not talking about these types of workers, and with the possible exception of remote home-based call centers agents, these people would typically not be working at home!
John W. Furst Says:
January 28th, 2008, 12:27 pm
“Don’t stay unshaved in pajamas!”
Very good observation! Thanks for the rest of those great tips. –jwf
Ivica Says:
January 28th, 2008, 14:54 pm
With my own experiance I know that is very hard to be productive all time when you work at home. After reading this article, I found few useful advices, but not sure if I will be able to realize them in practice!
Stationstops.com Says:
January 29th, 2008, 10:30 am
As for working 8 hours or not…
I 100% believe you shouldn’t measure your output by hours, but instead carefully measure your *output* (more difficult).
Always making sure you are continuously aware of your most important tasks, then setting goals and completing them no matter how long it takes, is much more difficult, efficient, and important.
As a remote employer I can tell you also I really don’t care if I found out tomorrow my employee only works 20 hours a week if he is delivering above expectations.
vonnhugo Says:
January 29th, 2008, 10:50 am
Thank you for posting this. :)
It will help me a lot. I am not a blogger though but a programmer who is used to working at home. The so much traffic going from home to office made me decide to just do my things at home and find other telecommute jobs. At first I thought that soon I will feel bad about this decision and it will make me less productive. Then again, I see these tips.
Yuppie Sherpa Says:
January 29th, 2008, 12:28 pm
People think I’m nuts when I tell them this, but when I work from home I put on slacks and a button-down shirt.
Not only does it remind me of how other people are probably envisioning me (and therefore how I need to conduct myself via email or telephone), but it also prevents me from getting too comfortable. I’m easily distracted, but I’m not about to lay out on the couch in my new dress pants.
Lexi Says:
January 29th, 2008, 21:59 pm
hi leo, excellent tips but many are not applicable to work-at-home MOMS like me who also take care of children, including a toddler!
so i’ve made up my own productivity list just for moms.
Denise Deems Says:
January 29th, 2008, 22:53 pm
Thanks for the tips. Your 5 hr a day tip is right on. It’s been documented that anything over a 35 hour work week is considered unproductive. I shoot for 4 productive day hours with an hour or two at night after dinner, because I tend to be a night owl by nature.
creativelyselfemployed.com Says:
January 30th, 2008, 10:27 am
Leo, great post as always. I’d love to hear your thoughts on lapses of work while you’re working at home. When not busy with a project, it can feel like you’re just…sitting at home, even if you’re trying to keep busy!
Alex Moore Says:
January 30th, 2008, 12:08 pm
Hi Leo,
Yet another great list. Would love to republish this on our site when it launches - we would give you full credit as it’s author of course. Interested?
Best,
Alex
Judy Howard Ellis Says:
January 30th, 2008, 16:44 pm
Thanks for this post and for your comments today in that mediabistro.com article! I recently quit my newspaper editing job to jump head-first into blogging. I’m still getting used to working at home again after about 10 years; I’m also learning how to draw readers to my blog.
So thank you for encouraging me today. You gave me tips on how to work efficiently at home and how to write effectively on my blog!
Best to you in 2008!
Judy
Jerome Says:
January 31st, 2008, 18:56 pm
As usual, My tendencies into a workaholic has been causing me troubles in setting my regular hour. You see.. my ‘office’ is just next to my bedroom, I just couldn’t help myself to go out of my bedroom, work all the way and push my hours (without sacrificing my qualities, of course), so that the work will be done almost immediately.
John Says:
February 1st, 2008, 0:14 am
I sooooo miss working from home. I Worked for a company that was 65 miles away from my house. I would telecommute about 3-4 days a week.
The biggest problem I would tend to have was working all the time. It is so easy for your work and home life to blur when you work from home. It’s was so easy for me to run down to basement and start checking e-mails at about 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning.
The experience was give and take, I was willing to work extra hours in exchange for not having to drive 130 mile round trip.
I was guilty of all the bad things mentioned above, but applied all of the the good habit consistently also.
Tom Beaton Says:
February 4th, 2008, 18:02 pm
This has to be the most comprehensive list of productivity enhancing tips ever. Everyone should read this, and live by this. Myself included. It really is essential to develop self discipline.
Tom Beaton.
Dominick Says:
February 9th, 2008, 11:33 am
Close the door, very big impact. It will shutdown almost all distractions and will keep you focused at work.
Try watching the Young Entrepreneur Society from the http://www.YoungEntrepreneurSociety.com. It is both entertaining and educating.
Erica DeWolf Says:
February 10th, 2008, 18:11 pm
This is a fantastic all inclusive list! Thanks so much!
Chris Seibel Says:
February 13th, 2008, 17:02 pm
I just retired this yr, and now am working from our home, doing things on a part-time basis. I believe that the freedom that I feel at home is wonderful for the mind. Very liberating!
I do find that I have to set certain hrs to work, and it is usually when my husband, who works overnight, so that I have the peace and quiet. Our computers are in the same room, and he loves to play World of Warcraft and Diablo 2, so this can be a bit noisy sometimes for me. We both invested in earphones, so this has helped tremendously. I would encourage anyone to work from home if it is at all possible for them.
Chris Seibel Says:
February 13th, 2008, 17:07 pm
The one thing that I miss the most is the insurance. My husband has insurance offered (that we pay more than half of the premium) thru his work, but it is very expensive. I am checking daily to find affordable healthcare packages,,,,and ‘it ain’t easy!’ I am also taking classes this fall at our local college,,,,for a carere in the medical office field. This might be a field that I could work on in our home, but I highly doubt it. My home business is just getting off the ground, so it will be a little bit before there will be any sort of monetary return.
Amy Lillard Says:
February 16th, 2008, 2:56 am
Perfect mix of good tips and reminders of why our work is so cool. I heartily agree with the organization tips: I set aside Friday afternoons for weekly accounting, updating (and backing up) files, going through email, and other “housekeeping.” It keeps me on task, gives me a fresh perspective on the week’s work, and gets me ready for a nice weekend.
Zviki Cohen Says:
March 13th, 2008, 5:32 am
Great post.
Few comments:
* I use RescueTime to track my time. It’s an amazing tool which logs your computer usage. Highly recommended.
* I use TimeOut to make sure I take breaks, because I forget.
* A good chair is a must. I would say that, in general, you should invest in your equipment. Your time is your most valuable resource, so make sure you can make the most out of it. Get yourself a strong machine (Mac preferred :-), large high-quality monitor (or two), good keyboard, mouse, backup devices, etc. Buy all the software that you need.
* When you’re sick and need the rest - just rest. The fact that you’re at home doesn’t mean you should work. Sounds trivial, but it’s not.
Alice Says:
April 10th, 2008, 16:18 pm
I believe that some of the temptations that come from working from home could be mitigated by better management. For example, supervisors should assign specific tasks and deadlines. Even if the work is complicated and/or technical, managers need to work with the employee to establish milestone delivery dates. If the employee is not interacting with customers or other employees during pre-set hours, then managers need to evaluate performance based on the quality of the outcome and on the timeliness of delivery. This would provide more flexibility to the employee and probably an improved product as the employee is working during his/her optimum hours. The benefit to the organization is that the management emphasis is focused on productivity rather than ancillary issues that do not contribute to established objectives. The risk to the employee is that if they fail to meet these guidelines, they are less likelty to be able to schmooze their manager and could be subject to negative action.
Often it is middle management that resists the idea of telecommuting because there is fear of losing control. The fact is if they were to manage by goal achiement or objective, they would find that there is no problem.
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