Being a design student, I spend a lot of my time working on my computer or sitting at my drafting table. I have always loved the convenience of working at home and use my second bedroom as a home office. As much as I love having a home office, I often wonder if it is better for me to work at school. Working from home is always appealing, but is it really the most productive?
I am certain I am not alone in being distracted at home; therefore, I came up with a list of home productivity rules. Whether you work at home full-time or just occasionally, the same rules apply.
- Set a daily work schedule. On a typical day, I get up at 8:00am and work until 6:00pm. It is easy to sleep in and work late when there is no one giving you a set time. Give yourself breaks throughout the day and take time to have lunch.
- Write a list of tasks for the day the night before. I always keep a running to-do list, but also keep a list for what I would like to accomplish in a particular day. It helps me stay on track and focused.
- Purchase and maintain office supplies. Treat your home office as a business, in a business it is important to be efficient and have all the materials and supplies in stock. Have you ever run out of ink for your printer, then have to take extra time to run to the store to buy more ink? It is not only very frustrating, but also very inefficient.
- Turn off the TV. This is a big rule for me. I am sure some will disagree, but having the TV on can be very distracting. You may turn it on just for background noise and later find yourself losing 5 minutes here and 5 minutes there from being enthralled in a program. Listening to music is a better option.
- Get dressed in the morning. This seems very silly to say especially because I love staying in my pajamas, but there is a psychological reaction to taking a shower and getting dressed in the morning. What you wear also has an impact on your mood and how you feel. If you want to have fun with it, dress up in business casual attire to work from home. I would be curious to find out if it results in more productivity.
- Close the door. If you have a family or live with others, it can be very hard to get work done when you are interrupted. This is especially difficult if you have small children at home. If you are sharing work and mommy time, then try involving your older children in the work by giving them fun small tasks. Also, you could have them working on one of their projects simultaneously while you work on your project.
- Arrange time for phone calls/meetings. As many know, taking meetings or phone calls can eat up a lot of work time. Schedule and limit the time for both phone calls and meetings. I like to set a block of time in the morning to get in all my necessary phone calls.
- Limit leisure internet browsing. I must admit I am addicted to spending hours looking for design inspiration or doing other research on the internet. Although I always tell myself it is work related, it is important to concentrate on the day's tasks.
- Prioritize your tasks. Even though it is more attractive to tackle the simpler tasks, never leave an important task or job unattended while you focus on something less important. At the end of the day, you will feel much better knowing all the major work has been completed.
Where are you most productive in your home - living room, bedroom, or office? Do you find it challenging to work at home? If you have other great productivity suggestions, I would love to incorporate them.
Check Out Other Work at Home Ideas:
At On...Working From Home
8 Ways To Make Your Home Office More Comfortable
Sharing a Studio Apartment and Working From Home
Nancy's Highly Efficient Office Space
(Images: West Elm)
Small Cool Lessons: Discovering Small Space Design Ideas That Really Work
Beatriz's Fun & Functional Workspace
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Sheex Bedding
How to Cook Rice on the Stove
How to Make Fresh Pasta Dough in the Food Processor
blog searching is my biggest weakness. so I have to go somewhere without internet so that I cant be tempted to sit there are search when I should be writing anthropology papers :)
Does anyone know what brand of desk chair is in the top image? It's lovely and simple...exactly what I'm looking for and I'd love to be able to know where to source it.
Unsupervised productivity is determined by work ethic.
Great post.
I absolutely agree about keeping the TV off. This is a big distraction for me. On the occasions that I work from home, I find it a much more intense experience, because I'm not having the odd chat with a colleague during the day. I make a point of going downstairs to have lunch, and will limit my TV watching to the 30-45 minutes when I'm having a break. If I don't, the whole morning or afternoon can easily disappear without me noticing.
Keeping a small stash of stationary items is also a good tip. I've done the printer cartridge dash one time too many!
Hi Kvanness...Click on the image link at the bottom of the page. It is from West Elm.
I work full-time (in an office) and go to school part-time (online). I have to be productive at home w/my schoolwork in order to keep my head above water.
One thing that really helps me is letting my partner know my plan for the evening, whether or not I plan on studying from 5:30-7:00, break for dinner, then back to it OR maybe that day I'll need to a break and make a nice dinner or walk the dog before I sit down and study for the evening. What ever my plan, letting my partner know holds me responsible to doing what I said I'd do AND lets them plan their evening/week accordingly.
As for my study area itself, it needs a fast internet connection, a table/desk (right now it's a card table), supplies, good lighting and a door :)
I don't know how people w/kids do it. My pets are welcome distractions during a grueling study session.
This is a great post and I must say I do almost all of it - and am trying to be more constructive with my internet browsing!! But it all rings true, if you don't act at least, like you are getting up, showered and dressed for a job outside of the home its easy to get so so lazy.
As for the tv, I don't find it distracts me much, BUT I have an 'only CNN or BBC News' rule when I am home...else rewatching last nights ep of LOST becomes way too easy.
saer
http://cravenmaven.wordpress.com
I work from home once a week. The key is having an office that is seperate from the rest of the place. I find that I get much more work done at home than I do at the office--but you do need to make yourself work.
Thanks for this post. I'm newly laid off and so have had to readjust to 'work' at home. I realized the first day that I was using a huge tupperware container as my 'chair' at my desk! It didn't matter before, but now it's a crucial expense to help me focus better on job searching at home.
Also, great desk pics!
Those are good ideas, but I think I break most of them working from home. My problem is that I work too much. I even dream about my work. So a few days ago I set a stop time of 6pm. Seems to help rid my mind of work thoughts. But I am working outside making furniture, not in an office anymore. - Greg - Vintage Industrial Furniture
All the rules and intentions in the world won't fix a lack of self-discipline. I've worked both ways and find that working at home is easier in many aspects but requires a lot more self-governance. It's a trade-off that's worth it for me.
Almost all of these are my rules....although I am commenting on a blog in the middle of the afternoon (but again, research). A trick I have is going to a coffee shop at the same time every morning. It means that I HAVE to be dressed and ready, plus, being the mysterious regular is so fun. I allow myself an hour to catch up on my news and blogs with my cup of coffee. It is longer than a general coffee break, but it is also work-related.
I just started working from home a few weeks ago. At the moment I don't even have a TV in the room and even if I get one that will definitely stay off. Getting "dressed" is a plus -- even if all I do outside the house is run out to the car to get something it's nice to know I don't look like a slob. The Internet is a bit of a distraction but I try to limit that to the time I spend on hold. As I spend most of the day chained to the phone, other potential distractions just aren't an option and the distractions I would have had in an office really don't exist anymore. Now all I need is a really comfortable chair -- preferably one I don't have to fight over with my cat.
Good ergonomics are a must for working at home. Get a comfy office chair and the right height of a desk.
I find that I do better if I plan evening activities (especially away from home) so that I am forced to stop work.
I also make sure to take a lunch break and use that hour to do something I wouldn't be able to do at the office: cook a meal, do a chore, run an errand, even take a nap.
I like the point about dressing the part when working from home. It might sound like overkill, but if I have an important call to make from home I put a suit on first....
As a designer too, I have been working from home since I quit my job last year...It´s been great not to face the stress of commuting every day...I am very self-disciplined person, so I look to go to some client visit once a week during the morning, so I can get back home, have a lunch and then start to work...I don´t mind to be in front a computer until 8:00pm, as long as I take some snack break...It´s so good not to spend the whole day hearing boring chit chat from co-workers, of course, not all of them...I still have contacts with my best "two ex-coworkers" at least once a month, to talk and have fun as we had in old days office...But I don´t miss the 9 to 5 days...
Sorry, but I can't understand why anyone would think having the tv on is okay. That's just not professional. When I work at home, it's with the same rigor as when I'm at the office. Okay, I am wearing sweats and sitting on the couch, but I'm calling into meetings, working on projects, etc. I don't watch tv in the office, and i wouldn't do it when working from home, either.
Following rules like these helps me be way more productive at home. Working full time and trying to finish a thesis at night makes it hard, but there are things that can help. I find the task list to be incredibly important, and time management techniques can help. I'm not done writing yet, but I think it's safe to say that the Pomodoro technique is saving my ass: http://www.pomodorotechnique.com
I will admit that I usually waste the first 20 minutes of any work session at home by catching up on ApartmentTherapy - then down to work. I'm surprised no one else here has 'fessed up.
I agree with the "no TV" rule! I also have been setting a timer to hold myself accountable for my "wasted" time on fun internet sites. (Like AT.)
I start each morning by making a to-do list- I jot the worst of it down on a little post-it note which is posted on my desk. Then, if I get a free moment or before I go to the library or out for a change of scenery, I make a necessary phone call. Since I hate phone calls, it's the only way I can discipline myself to do them.
i want to work here.
Thanks for the ideas. I am just starting to take on extra projects outside of my regular job and can use some of your suggestions.
I love to work from home when I can, but I totally recognise that I am not disciplined at being 100% productive so now I set myself specific tasks to do that day, for example 'finish and send out a document' - the 'send out' part is vital as it shows others I am working and makes me accountable externally. Then I do it, finish and anything else is a bonus.
I don't work from home too often because that wouldn't get all my work done, only when home circumstances dictate, and I relax a bit when I do since it's not very often.
All GREAT suggestions! I struggle with all the issues you've mentioned!
I'm pretty good with keeping up on office supplies, but my mad dashes have been for a new printer...or monitor! LOL!
The suggestions are just common sense, but seeing them in print makes me realize that I really do need more self discipline! Thanks!
I'm definitely more productive at home than while i'm in the office. Do I work a steady 8 hours staring at my laptop? No. But I don't do that at work - in the office, I spend a good 2 hours a day being interrupted by co-workers telling ridiculous personal stories that I’d rather not hear, but can’t avoid because I work in a very open space (think “The Office”). When I’m home, I can start an hour later, take an hour for lunch and still get more done simply because I don’t have the distraction. Now, if only I could convince my manager to let me work from home full-time…
When I was in college and did homework at home, I set goals for myself and once accomplished, I rewarded myself (unfortunately, most of the time it was with food). If you set obtainable goals each day along with a small reward, it's a great motivator for daily successes. Marcia, I loved your suggestions. It appears that you're a very organized person. Working at home requires a great deal of willpower to resist distractions. I'm definately going to put your ideas to use!
I worked from home for a while, the one huge benefit for me is that I can still be a Mum too. It took a while to find my way, but then I realised the benefit of being Mum out weighed the difficult times. Discipline and organisation are the keys.