We’ve mentioned it before – telecommuting is great, but it’s still a job. Employers aren’t in the habit of paying money for nothing. You must stay productive. Here are some tips about how to telecommute effectively from home.
1. Create an Actual Workspace: You need a space devoted to work. Squeezing between the dirty supper dishes or propping a laptop on the ironing board isn’t a good idea. Set up all the equipment you need. Decorations are okay, but keep it aesthetic and not distracting.
2. Set a Schedule: Believe it or not, the most common problem in working from home is putting in too many hours. Schedule both work and breaks. If you have work left to do, sometimes it’s hard to end the day. If you have a family, don’t forget about them!
3. Self-Motivation: You don’t have a supervisor and co-workers to keep your nose to the grindstone. All the motivation has to come from within.
4. Communicate Professionally: Sure, you can wear whichever stained but ever-so-comfortable pajamas you like but remember to communicate with clients just like you would from a real office. Don’t give them a reason to doubt the quality of your work.
5. You Might Need Day Care: Young children can be an extreme distraction around the house. It might be necessary to hire daycare. C’mon! We’re talking about your office here. You can’t have rugrats running kamikaze to and fro all day and expect to accomplish anything.
6. Don’t Over-Volunteer: When you work from home, people tend to forget you’re supposed to be WORKING. Don’t get sucked into running errands for every Tom, Dick, or Jane who calls.
Ignore the preceding at your own peril! Any or all of these can derail a telecommuting career before it really gets started. Protect your home office because there’s important work going on in there.
The Creating Wealth Team
