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Working at home can provide a lot of flexibility. You can work when you feel like it, and if you have children, you can schedule your work day around their activities. Unfortunately, working at home can also be a negative if you don't know how to organize your time and you become distracted. Even if you have young children at home, you can be successful when you work at home by following certain steps.
Get dressed and ready for work as if you are leaving the house. By doing this, you are transitioning yourself from home to work mode. Additionally, if you dress for work, you will take yourself more seriously and maintain a work place attitude. Working in your pajamas and slippers will only motivate you to go back to bed.
Set yourself up for success by creating a work place where you can separate yourself from the rest of the house. If you are able to seclude yourself in a separate room--assuming someone's watching the children--then do so. Otherwise set yourself up in an area of a main room. You will have to remain disciplined about becoming distracted. You should also set yourself up with the necessary tools and resources to make your job easier. If you will be working online, you will need a comfortable and organized work station, high speed Internet, and access to a tech for troubleshooting computer issues.
Set a schedule so that you remain disciplined. If you focus on specific objectives, then you will avoid distractions. Without a schedule, you will be less likely to complete projects, and this may result in you working late to catch up, or worse, you may have to add it to the next day's workload.
Be professional even if you have children at home. If possible, you should schedule your calls during nap times or when the kids are watching a movie. Ideally, you should communicate primarily via e-mail or instant messaging.
Avoid distractions during work hours. Don't justify house work by saying it will just take a second. Folding the laundry or loading the dishwasher can wait. You are on work time, and if you allow yourself to catch up on chores, you will be getting behind on your work. Additionally, get a business phone line and screen your personal calls. Only a sick child or an important appointment should divert you from your work.
Don't allow yourself to become isolated when you work from the house. If you begin to feel cut off from the world, then treat yourself to a jaunt outdoors. You could even schedule something at the end of your day so you don't feel guilty. Take the children to the park, or meet up with a friend. Avoid jaunts during your work hours because you may lose track of time and find yourself working late into the night to catch up.
End your day as scheduled, and pick up where you left off the next day. Don't allow your work to consume your family time. Your children and spouse may feel neglected and resentful.
