Working from Home Takes a Strong Work Ethic

By Charles L Harmon

When you start working from home, you may find you get your usual work done in about half the time it used to take you in a traditional office setting.

Don’t let this make you complacent! You cannot slack off! It’s a privilege working from home that most people don’t get. Work at home requires additional responsibility. It is similar to being your own boss.
 

You Have to Over-Perform when Working from Home

If you do still have a boss, they’re going to be second-guessing whether you’re working hard when not under their watchful eye. When working from home, you need to keep over-performing to prove that it’s a system that works well for you.

Luckily, working from home gives you so much more time to get things completed. That’s because you no longer have commute times.

An example of commute times I’ve had includes spending 3 1/2 hours on the Freeways almost every evening coming home from Orange County after work in rush hour traffic from Irvine, California. That’s only 55 miles from my home.

Compare that to the same job in morning traffic. To avoid that traffic nightmare I’d leave home in the morning about 4:20 am. I’d arrive at work about 55 minutes later and nap in my car until about 7:00 am when I could start work. Working from home sure does beat that daily nightmare of a drive and wasted time.

You also don’t need to spend 30 – to 60 minutes going out to lunch and back. Another good thing is you don’t have all of the normal office distractions to contend with.

 

 

There’s Freedom Working from Home

One of the great things about being an entrepreneur or having your own business where you can work from home is the individual freedom you don’t have in a normal work place.

Not every work from home tip will work for you. You don’t want to completely give up all the versatility working from home gives you. You can pick and choose what works best for you.

Many tips for work at home successfully replicate a traditional office environment, but in your home. This may help you remain focused. They can remind you that your work comes first.

 

Setting Alarms May Help You

I recommend setting several alarms to keep your workday organized. Even if you don’t really need to get up so early at 7 am or start the day at 9 am, don’t let that fool you. If you don’t follow a strict morning and evening routine then you can easily waste a lot of time.

You probably think that if you procrastinate now you can make up the time later, right? Nope! This leads to working longer hours and getting less done. Almost certainly the next day you’ll be even more tired and less likely to concentrate on your work.

Instead of procrastinating, set yourself some time restraints and make each day follow the same general pattern.

 

Alternative Choices you May have at Home

If you’re fortunate enough to be able to work at home, another choice may be available for you other than the normal work day. Take me for example. In my particular situation I’m helping my wife in her home business in the daytime. It’s easy work, but sometimes it is stressful. Because I’m a night owl and always go to bed very late, or rather early in the morning, I use the night to do my online work.

I can get a lot done because there are normally no distractions. I take a couple of 10 – 15 minute breaks during work. Most days I can do a solid five hours of work. To me it often feels like I’ve accomplished the same amount of work if I had worked 8 hours in the day time. I still normally get to bed between 2:30 am and 3:00 am which is my normal bedtime if I weren’t working from home.

It’s better to have a Dedicated Office

Having a dedicated home office space that’s for work alone is the best practice. In this space, there should be no other distractions.

Remind your family that when you’re in your workspace you are not to be disturbed unless absolutely necessary.

It won’t take long before you’ll find your restless mind will fall in line when you’re in your dedicated space. You’ll be able to concentrate for much longer periods if you are undisturbed and alone.

Stay Organized

One thing that smart entrepreneurs struggle to get right is staying organized. They’ve got so much they want to do.  Most have lots of ideas and things they want to do. However, many people in that situation have a hard time organizing their priorities. That’s especially true when offered the additional freedom that working from home gives them.

At the start of every hour, each day, and each week, figure out what your priorities are, how you’re going to achieve your goals as quickly as possible. Stay organized. By doing so you’ll find you can accomplish two or three times more than you’d normally be able to do in a day compared to working in a normal work environment.

Don’t Neglect Dressing for Work

A lot of people, including myself, find that they’re more serious about their work if they dress smartly. You don’t need to be sitting in your home office in a full suit and tie or office clothes if you’re a woman, but you shouldn’t be dressed in your pajamas or in any way that is conducive to working.

For me, dressing professionally somehow tricks my mind into believing I am in fact more professional than I really am, allowing me to focus on the work at hand and get more work done!

Use Gamification in Your Work

When faced with those inevitable tasks that take ages. The ones you always want to put off until later, try to make them into a game or something challenging or something you enjoy.

There are apps made to help you motivate yourself to complete these more mundane tasks. For example, 4thewords is a lighthearted role-playing game for writers. You progress your character by completing a certain number of words in a set time.

Although I’m not using that or any other game I dedicated three hours to write the basic content of this article you’re reading now. Consider creating your own mini-games to keep yourself working hard. You can reward yourself with a small prize if you complete each task on time.

In my particular case with this article, I wanted to continue watching a particular movie on Netflix.

 

Conclusion

Working from home puts the power to succeed squarely in your hands. Just make sure you’re making the most of your time. Don’t squander it and you’ll get much more work done compared to the same amount of time in a traditional office setting. 

As a bonus the freedom of not having to waste time driving to and from work, less distractions, and saving time and money commuting are perks most people never experience if they don’t work from home.