The 3 Absolute Keys for Working from Home Effectively

In our recent article called 11 Ultimate Hacks to Work From Home on a Budget in 2022, we focused on the mechanics of setting up your home office on a budget. Since then we’ve had a few questions about the more general aspects of working from home, especially from people who are working from home and finding it to be a struggle.

As I’ve been working from home happily for a decade now, Monique asked me for my advice on what are the key factors for being happy and productive when working from home.

The truth is, working from home can be tough. How do you remain productive but not be a workaholic? We have 3 golden rules that can help you work from home as productively as possible.

For many the phrase “working from home” conjures images of pajamas and questionable personal hygiene, but once you start doing it seriously, you realize that it’s challenging: especially when you are forced into it at short notice. Let’s look at a few of these challenges:

Technology – the quality of your internet connection, VPN access or hardware related issues can all cause huge frustration, especially when you are isolated from the workplace and tech support (both formal and informal).

Business processes – many of the processes you have been used to using have had to be redesigned by necessity. While ultimately these will improve how we operate, in the short-term we must deal with challenges while the processes are refined and tested, and while we ourselves get used to working them effectively.

Working Environment – if we can allocate a designated space as our “home office” – great. However, for many of us this is simply not possible. Kitchen and dining room tables/chairs are not ideal, and background noise can be a real issue too.

Domestic Disturbances – these are a particular issue when children are not at school and if more adults than usual are at home during the week.

Unwanted interruptions – from others who do not fully understand that you are WORKING from home, not just at home.

Childcare and home-schooling responsibilities – If you have young children to look after while you are working from home, it can be a huge conflict. You might end up doing neither particularly well.

Difficulties finding dedicated workspace – It is not always possible to find a place in your home that you can set aside as a dedicated workspace. The space you choose may also have to double as a dining or sleeping area. If it’s just you, it’s probably OK, but if your partner wants to sleep or eat just as you need to join an after-hours meeting, it might be an issue.

Mindset – this can be the biggest challenge of all:

Some of us struggle to focus and be productive (I’ve been there).
Others end up working longer and harder than normal, sometimes to the detriment of our mental health (yup, done this too). Self-Care and our physical health get placed on the back-burner.
The lack of direct physical interaction with co-workers and customers can be difficult for many of us too.
If you are really unlucky, you will face all of these!

I have worked from home since 2012, in my case by choice, and I would like to share what the 3 critical things to address for doing so successfully.

1. Separate work-life from home-life.

When I first worked from home, Monique and I lived in our 700 sq. ft, 1-bedroom apartment. We lived there for nearly a year until we finished working on our fixer-upper home. I worked from our dining table and would leave my laptop and other work stuff out when I finished. I would sit watching TV in the evening and my work life stared back at me, and the same happened at mealtimes. Some evenings I would find myself drawn back to my work, even when I had no urgent deliverables. The mess annoyed my neat-freak wife!

So, I created a new routine where I would pack away ALL my work stuff into a bag and box, which I stored at the back of the closet until the next morning. This helped me create the separation I needed in a small space.

2. Establish and aggressively follow a formal schedule

While many bosses worry that their employees will take advantage by loafing when they should be working, in most cases the opposite is true. Work is always there, and you don’t have to worry about travel, so you work. You may be alone, with no one to talk to, so rather than take a healthy lunch break, you grab something and get back to your desk.

To get around this, I have established a formal schedule and, except when there is a genuine emergency, I stick to it:

I start and end work at set times every day, and I also take set breaks, which I spend away from my workspace. I typically use this time for short mediations or reading a book.
If you have conflicting demands on your time, work these into your schedule too. For example, formally schedule time to look after home-schooling into your day. For me, I always take my dogs for a walk. This is doubly helpful as I rarely go back to work after Oscar, Rocky and I get back home.
You may have to change your working hours; to fit in childcare and home-schooling. Maybe you need to start work earlier or work into the evening or you may have to work a “split-shift” with 4 hours during the day and 4 in the evening – just make sure that you schedule it and stick to it.
I also create routines regarding what I do before work, how I dress and what I do to prepare each day. This is so much more important than when you go into the office. It’s goodbye to the pajamas and questionable hygiene because I shower, shave and dress every day before I start working.

3. Get Agreement from all those you live with about how you work.

If you share your home with others, this is crucial. They all need to understand:

What hours you are working
Where you will be working
How to contact you during working hours
When you will be attending to other duties
Your requirements regarding background noise and privacy
How others can support your needs and how you will support

It’s been 10 years since I started working from home permanently. It hasn’t always been easy, but by keeping my home and work lives separate, setting and keeping a routine, and by getting the agreement of those I live with, I become so much more effective and happier in my home office.

What do you think of this article? Have I missed any areas you needed me to cover? Let me know below in the comments.

Author

Nick Abbott

Hi, I’m Nick. Visiting foreign countries has been an important part of my life since my parents moved to Kano in Nigeria in 1977. Since then, as both a military officer and in later jobs I have enjoyed the huge privilege of being exposed to many different countries and cultures.

I am delighted to be able to support my wife Monique and Yes2Yolo primarily by contributing travel articles, providing editing and proof-reading services and being a general sounding board.