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There are probably hundreds of office-bound people sneering at this blog title right now, thinking that the “challenges” of working from home are imaginary issues invented by spoiled freelancers with all the freedom in the world at their fingertips. While there are indeed incredible benefits of working from home, there are a number of potential setbacks every one of us can face, too.
A mompreneur juggling her new startup and a toddler is probably not having the time of her life. A customer support agent working night shifts and being greeted by an enthusiastic kid every morning might also use a break. Not to mention those who feel left out from all corporate events for being an entire ocean away from the headquarters of their employer.
So, yes, there are challenges. We can, however, do our absolute best to own them and preferably prevent most of them, and the following strategies will surely help!
Build your own schedule
People who work from home find themselves feeling as if they need to “make up” for the fact that they aren’t physically present at the office. To do that, they would make themselves available around the clock, often responding to emails late at night and feeling the effects of severe burnout at the end of each month.
Chances are, even if you’re working on a per-project basis, every sane employer would discourage such self-destructive behavior. If you’re able to wrap up your tasks in time you’d normally spend at an office, then by all means, turn off the chat and email notifications as soon as the clock strikes five. Create a reasonable work schedule for your every day, and you’ll be able to see how efficient you truly are!
Power up with the right gear
On one hand, working from home can get incredibly dull and monotonous, pushing you into procrastination sooner than you can possibly imagine. There are many distractions around you at all times, no matter if you’re at home or at an office, but the lack of supervision makes it easier to get distracted. As well as that, the dynamics of a home job, and blending kids, meal preparations and personal agendas with your professional goals can make it difficult to focus properly.
The only and the best solution to both potential issues is relying on truly superb equipment to keep your work both flexible and glitch-free. For starters, you need a sleek laptop such as Lenovo x1 yoga in order to be able to work from anywhere in your home without losing out on functionality. Why interrupt your flow if you can carry your work with you? Add a pair of noise-cancelling headphones for focused client calls, and you’ll find yourself in the zone before you know it.
Design your little office space
Aesthetics may not be all that important to you, but it is nonetheless a key factor in forming the right mindset for working successfully from your home. Plus, the vast majority of the items you’ll use in “decorating” your personal office space also serves a distinct function to enable you to work properly every day.
Using a room divider, for example, can help you create a sense of distance from the rest of your personal life. Removing any distractions such as the TV, your personal phones and other gadgets can help you create the right atmosphere that will put you in the right mindset for work.
Track your progress
Finally, we live in a time when patience isn’t really treated like a virtue, as we’re given everything in a matter of moments. That has helped shorten our attention spans and it often makes us more fidgety than we’d like to admit. If you work from home, a dull task can quickly be replaced by a bit of harmless Instagram scrolling, or getting up for another cup of coffee. That may end up piling up more work for the next day, but you can never really tell what’s keeping you so slow.
If you implement software such as Rescue Time or Toggl to keep track of how you spend your time and where the greatest time-wasters come from, you can quickly adapt your routine and figure out a way to become more productive without adding a few hours into your work day.
While the beauty and the many perks of working from home keep us all from losing our minds at the toughest of moments, such as your baby’s first ear infection or a family crisis, there are also potential issues that need to be handled. Use these strategies to simplify your work life, and you’ll soon be able to boost the much-needed balance to keep you productive as well as happy in every aspect of your existence!
