Many often dream about working from home and being location independent.
You can create your own schedule, wear pajamas (this is a huge positive, right?!), be in control, and so on.
Being able to work from home and/or be location independent can be a great thing. I know this because I’ve been working from home for a few years now and I truly love it. I’m actually typing this in my RV while traveling around the country.
However, even with that being said, there are many things a person needs to keep in mind if they want to work from home (or on the road, while traveling, etc.) and that is why I am publishing this post today about my top work from home tips.
I know several people who have tried working from home only to find that they have a hard time getting anything done. While I’m not one of those people (I LOVE working from home), I know there are certain things that may hold you back if you’re not careful.
This is why it’s important to realize that working from home doesn’t mean you are retired.
You still have work that needs to be completed and you still have to earn a living. Cutting out your commute, being able to wear your pajamas on certain days, and being your own boss all may seem like great positives, but you have to remember that you still have a job.
Here are my work from home tips and some of the many ways you can stay sane.
Stick to a work schedule.
For the first of my work from home tips, I highly recommend creating some sort of work schedule.
Even if you can have the most flexible schedule in the world, it’s usually wise to still have somewhat of a work schedule. This way you can mentally get into the “work zone” each day and have fewer distractions.
Related: Check out my monthly online income reports where I show you how I make over $30,000 a month online!
Have a dedicated work area.
Similar to sticking to a work schedule, having a dedicated work area can help you work better due to the fact that you will be in a spot in your home that is used just for work.
This can help you separate work and life, be more organized, and get in the zone each day.
Related: How To Be More Productive: 17 Tips To Help You Live A Better Life
Exercise regularly.
When working from home, it can be quite easy to sit in one spot ALL day long.
Unlike with going to work where you may have to walk into work, walk to someone’s desk, and so on, you may find yourself getting a lot less movement in your day when you work from home.
By exercising regularly, you can stay healthy, refresh yourself, and clear your mind.
Hire help if you need it.
Outsourcing work can help you focus more on tasks that you need to complete, find “experts” who can do certain tasks better than you (such as accounting or legal work), manage a better work-life balance, and more.
You don’t have to only hire help for your work either. You can hire help for both work and home life. This could mean finding a virtual assistant, a nanny, a housekeeper, and so on.
Cut out distractions.
While social media and TV may be great at times, you have to be careful so that it’s not impacting your work in a negative way.
Working from home means that no one is watching over your shoulder, which may lead to you being more distracted. Due to this, it’s always a good idea to cut out things such as social media, TV, and so on while you are working so that you can be more efficient with your time.
Socialize with others.
Working from home can sometimes make a person feel a little lonely. You don’t have the normal socialization that you may receive when you go into an office, which may make a person feel like they are cut off from the world.
There are still many ways to socialize with others. You could join a club, hang out with friends, call coworkers, or even work in a shared space with small business owners.
Don’t run errands for others all day long.
There’s a common myth that people who work from home don’t actually do anything all day. This sometimes leads to friends and family members asking for favors from those who work from home.
Many of my online work friends are constantly asked to babysit, run errands, and so on from others. While the occasional favor may not be so bad, of course, usually favors of those who work from home start with “I know you have nothing to do today so will you…”
If you have the time and you want to, by all means say yes to every favor. But, I believe you need to be realistic and this is one of my important work from home tips. Running errands all day for others can prevent you from completing work and it can also cost you money.
Take breaks.
This may not apply to all work from home jobs, but for many working from home means that you may have somewhat of a flexible schedule. So, as long as you get your work done, you can most likely take any breaks that you think you deserve or need.
This is something I highly recommend everyone who works from home do.
A break can help you feel more refreshed so that you can work better. Whenever I am feeling stuck with work, I always take a break and that almost always helps.
Have fun.
In the end, you need to remember to have fun and this is one of my top work from home tips.
Spend more time with your family, be successful with your career choice, do things that you’ve always wanted to do, and more.
How do you stay sane and get work done when working from home? What are your top work from home tips?
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I don’t work from home, but this is a desire of mine. My concern though — as silly as this sounds — is dealing with my cat begging all day to either go outside or eat!
Haha my dogs beg a lot now that I work from home.
Spot on with the exercise comment. Last time I was taking some time off, I kept my gym membership.
I could have canceled it and saved the money and worked out at home. But when you’re working from home, having a place to spend time outside the home on a regular basis is more important than ever.
Yes, I agree!
I usually only work from home one day a week or so, but can see how doing it every day could post some challenges. I make sure to get up and take a walk throughout the day. Exercise is crucial. And make sure to talk to actual humans once work is done 🙂
Yes, exercise is so important!
Michelle, I really liked this article because I could relate to it. In a way, I will admit after working as an employee for a large practice, then a large law firm, and finally a contractor for a well-known company. I finally realized I am not a morning person, I rather be outside during the day to explore and travel, interact with other people instead of being in a cubicle all day, and my health as gone down hill after my accident. Hence why I’m trying to figure out what do I love to do so I can consider it full time and have a flexible schedule so I can enjoy going for a hike during the day or travel, and spending time with my future dog.
Thanks for these wonderful tips! It should help me how to stay focus on while writing my blog, too.
Thanks Diana!
Yes!
These all make a lot of sense. Not snacking all day would be the biggest challenge for me!
It’s hard!
If you have kids, find ways to keep them distracted. Nothing kills productivity like hearing “I’m sooooooo bored” every five minutes.
Haha yes!
Absolutely agree I tend to have a scheme for my day job, my side hustles taking planned breaks or I would became really stressed!
Yes!
Hi,
I found your site last week and have been busy reviewing all the posts and information that I can from it. I have just started my own blog and was interested in how others got their start. When I ran across yours, of course I was interested in learning everything I possibly could about starting out and growing. I didn’t start it as a business, I just felt like I wanted to reach out to anyone out there, I have been more or less stuck at home for the past couple of years due to an illness and have wanted to find an outlet but I had never considered blogging until a couple of weeks ago. I do not know if I have anything to say that others would like to hear but I thought I would give it a shot. If you get a chance please stop by and see what you think, I would be very grateful for any kind of criticism or suggestions you may have.
Hello Barb!
I always highly recommend that a blog be on WordPress. You can find out more here – https://fund-rise.live/2013/02/blogger-or-wordpress-tips-on-how-to-move.html%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Hi Michelle,
I took your advice and moved over to Wordpress. Thank you for replying it was much appreciated. Oh, and by the way, the new blog is 24bas10.wordpress.com, if you have a moment take a look, there is only one post for now, but I am going to try and blog on Tuesday and Fridays.
I don’t have aa particular direction just yet, but I’m hoping I will find a direction once I get going. Once again, thank you for the info and Merry Christmas.
Unfortunately, you still are not on the correct version on WordPress. Like I said in the post, I highly recommend switching to paid WordPress.
Sorry I had just realized my mistake and was busy setting up the paid site. So the domain name is 24bas10.com. Again, thank you for getting back to me
Awesome! So, you are self-hosted now?
I work full time and work on my side hustles in the evening. My 9-5 keeps me in check (I only have a small window of time to devote to side hustling!), so I do wonder what it would be like if I didn’t have that giving my schedule structure. Great tips!
Thanks Melissa!
Distractions are one of the things that I’m worried about. I have a slight problem with checking social media too much. I have to nip that in the bud.
I have that problem too. It’s tough!
My work from home situation is a little unique because it’s still for someone else on a specific work schedule. So that helps. I have to get up and get through the first slew of emails. Once I’m caught up, then I can start goofing off a bit on social media.
The main impediment to my concentration is that my husband is home all day too. And gets bored easily. It took years to get him to the point that he’ll give me quiet time during that first set of emails. And he still grumbles a bit.
I know exactly what you mean!
Working from home is good because it allows bloggers and content marketers to have a piece of mind when writing unique content from scratch in a peaceful atmosphere. Like you mentioned indirectly, working from home can allegedly create laziness, because you set your own hours and do as you please. Working from home requires discipline because you’re not on someone else’s schedule in terms of working for them and not having a pension plan intact. Cardio and exercise is “the transformation work from home solution,” because cardio, exercise, and good solid nutrition will keep work at home professionals inspired toward “making healthy transformational changes.”
Yes!
Michelle,
Exercising is the elixir for overcoming many health-related ailments. It’s so easy to not do it. A person has to want to do it and desire a healthier lifestyle, because working from home is making some people lazy.
What has worked for me is that I start early in the morning to work on my side hustle and it is scheduled. It feels great that I am able to start and finish early so that I have the rest of my days for family, exercise, and some other activities I love doing such as playing badminton.