We are now five months into the Coronavirus pandemic and shut down of the economy. Many people are still working from home. Many parents are trying to find ways to homeschool while running a business. How to work from home isn’t as easy as people think. It takes time, talent and dedication to make working from homework for you and for your family.
Distractions and isolation are two of the issues many entrepreneurs face. Being your own boss and not having to commute are wonderful, but being a work-from-home entrepreneur brings challenges.
How To Work From Home
Working from home requires at least these five items.
- A designated space. Even if your designated space is a corner of the bedroom, claim it and make it your own. You may think that working from the bed is the way to go but do you want to do Zoom calls and have your staff or co-workers see your bed? Have a space that is professional enough to allow for video calls. Some homes, we understand, were not set up for a work from home scenario, but we urge you to find a space to make your “office.”
- Don’t jump out of bed and fall into the office chair. Have a routine and work in your “commute” time. You aren’t driving to work, but that doesn’t mean you have to get up and immediately go to the “office.” How long was your commute? Factor that into your workday and use it for me time.
- Set office hours. Don’t let your boss think you are available 24 hours a day. Set office hours and stick to them — unless a major project comes up, of course. Don’t check your email or phone on your off hours — set boundaries.
- Avoid distractions. It’s hard to work from home and see that the carpet needs to be vacuumed, or the laundry needs to be done or grocery shopping has to be finished. You need to honor your work hours. If you need to vacuum or shop, do it on your lunch break or before or after work.
- Get up and move around at least every hour. You have to take breaks even if there is no water cooler to hang out around.
Remote working seems like a dream — until you’re doing it and find that it’s not the ideal you always imagined it would be.