For many, working from home is a great way to escape the distractions of the office and get work done. However, it also comes with distractions, discomfort, and inconveniences.
It’s so much harder to ask questions or chat with co-workers when they’re not two cubicles away. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to make working from home more enjoyable to increase your productivity and quality of your work.
1. Create a Separate Workspace
You don’t need to dedicate a whole room to your home office, but you should create a few feet of workspace that is just for work. Keep your laundry away so you don’t get distracted and make sure food stays in a different part of the house. Otherwise, your workday will be filled with crumbs, pet hair, and other home problems that distract you.
When the day is done, close up your workspace and walk away from it like you would when you leave the office. This way you can really feel like the day is over, even if you’re still in the same area as your laptop.
2. Invest in High-Quality Internet
The majority of people who work from home need a strong internet connection to do their work. With slow internet, you will grow increasingly frustrated waiting for pages, videos, and comments to load. An enjoyable work experience can suddenly become unbearable.
High-quality internet can also make conference calls more enjoyable. If you have regular conference calls over the web, you will be able to hear people clearly without a delay in speech. With any luck, the call will be so clear it will be as if you’re sitting in the conference room next to your colleagues.
3. Make Sure You Have Good Indoor Air Quality
Dust and dirt particles in your home can irritate your sinuses and inflame your asthma symptoms. For allergy sufferers or those who are sensitive to dust, this can make working from home a stuffy, wheezy nightmare.
Fortunately, you don’t have to invest in commercial-grade air filters to breathe easier. Simply remember to change your air filter regularly, dust and clean often, and consider investing in an air purifier. Plus, the clean air will make it easier to concentrate on the work at hand.
4. Practice Good Personal Hygiene
In the same way that you should keep your home workspace clean to help you focus, make an effort to keep clean as well. You don’t have to sit at your home office in a blazer and heels, but you might not want to wear the same clothes you have been for the past three days.
Along with practicing good hygiene even if you never leave the house, try to maintain a healthy diet and exercise routine. Just because there is a carton of ice cream in the freezer doesn’t mean that it’s an acceptable lunch. When you feel healthy you can focus more and get more work done.
Working from home isn’t for everyone, but these steps can help you create a home office environment that helps you focus and land that next promotion.