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| How to Keep Your Sanity Working from Home Part I |
| Thursday, 16 June 2011 01:36 |
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I started working from home about ten years ago. I learned the hard way how to remain focused, productive and balanced despite always being just feet away from the office. While it seems beneficial to push yourself to the max, nothing is farther from the truth. Humans are not meant to be overworked, unbalanced and moody so make sure you treat yourself well. I personally work about 12+ hours a day, however, I still take time for my daughter and the really important things in my life.
Stick to a Schedule (of Some Kind) I am not really a "schedule" person. Sometimes, I stay up late. Sometimes, I start my day a little late. What helps is my daughter's school schedule; waking up, coming home, bath time, etc. So I try to schedule myself around her. Work stops at 5pm for dinner then continues after her bedtime around 9pm with my bedtime around 11pm. The key is to keep your body in regulation with waking up, eating, taking breaks, sleeping, etc. This may sound like a simple concept but it is easy to go with the flow while you work from home. This includes spontaneous work, sleep, eat, etc times. It takes me about a week or less to feel completely run down physically and mentally if running a spontaneous schedule so be careful. Get Dressed (for God's Sake) Ahhhh. One of the upsides of working from home is the ability to stay in one's pajamas, right? Nothing makes me want to crawl back into bed more than staying in my pajamas. Matter of fact, one of the first things I do in the morning is get dressed as if I am going out to an office somewhere in town. Otherwise, I feel sluggish and it's hard to feel productive while sluggish. Also, I don't know about you but I always thought it would be awkward talking to clients on the phone in my undies. Just saying. :D Take Regular Breaks Every hour or two, get up and do something physical. Housework is a good way to hit two birds with one stone of accomplishing a daily task while giving your body a break from the time spent sitting. ( My audience is mostly male and I imagine if you had a partner who does most of the housework then your physical activity could be a walk, outside project or maybe you want to help your partner out. ;) ). Take Days Off If I had my way, I would work 7 days a week. However, everyone needs time off, especially for themselves and family. However, this has been hard for me to personally accomplish. I tried "no computer day" this past Sunday and was bored as hell but I was refreshed for work on Monday. (Maybe it's time for a new offline hobby on Sundays like Sahar and his flute?). Leave Work at Work While the office is constantly staring at you in the face, resist the urge to do "just one more thing" before bedtime, playing with your kids, taking time for yourself, etc. Trust me, that one more thing can easily turn into hours worth of work and you are like a caffeinated, wide eyed zombie at 3am before you know it. It's better to have a cut off time per evening where all work stops and personal life begins. Continue Your Education Especially with all things computer; there is always something new or updated to learn. I shouldn't have to point out the obvious benefits of continuing your education. Only to point out that I had a friend who was certified in just about every type of operating system, hardware and overall electronics out there back in early 2000 only to find himself lost when he recently tried to base a project off a modern OS. It's About Making Time Doing what we do from home is harder than one thinks. It includes discipline, adjustment and a sanity check from time to time. I would say it is harder than working in an office for someone else because you have to constantly motivate yourself and payday is any day (which can be a good OR bad thing at times). Make time for the important things in life. It is a decision to take a time out. Do not wait for "free time" to come along: it never does. Trust me. Part II: Continued.... Hits: 1739 Comments (2)
Michal G
TWood
June 16, 2011
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| Last Updated on Tuesday, 12 July 2011 02:41 |
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