How to Make the Most of Working From Home Occasionally

This article mainly covers computer related jobs, but you may be able to use some of these tips for other jobs as well, if working from home is viable.

Some people may use a home office as their primary means of working, but if you're used to being in the office every day from time to time you may need to work from home. You may need to accomodate kids coming home from school early, or meet the delivery guy, or just need a day away from the office without taking vacation time.

If you do it right you can get MORE work done on a work-from-home day than a day at the office, while working the same or less hours. If not, you might spend the whole day goofing off and getting nothing done or working hard and still getting nothing done because you're not set up correctly.

Things You'll Need

• A home (house, apartment, whatever, you get the idea!).
• Quietness - if you have kids or other people around, it works best to have a separate room to work in. Headphones can help with this.
• An Internet connection.
• Remote Desktop access to your work PC. Set this up ahead of time so you don't waste your time getting it working on the day you need it. Even if you can work primarily on your home PC, set this up.

Instructions

1. Get up at a fairly normal time. Don't be afraid to sleep in just a little bit more - you don't have a commute after all! But resist the urge to lay in bed all morning or you'll waste a lot of time. Also, you'll feel more energized for work if you get up and get at it earlier.

2. Take a shower, get dressed, etc. like usual. You can go a little casual if it helps, but dressing sharp helps keep your mind focused on work. If you lounge around in your pajamas you risk not taking your work day seriously.

3. Take a break when you need it! Working in the office enforces a fairly strict timeline for when you should be "working" - but at home, if you're not feeling productive, go take a break. Go make yourself some lunch and sit outside, play with your kids, etc.

4. Keep in touch as you need to. Periodically answer emails, stay on IM if it's not too distracting. This way your colleagues can see that you're on top of things and they don't assume you're just taking the day off.

5. Wrap things up when you feel like it. If you're burned out and done for the day - quit! Don't sit in front of your computer doing nothing just because you feel like you need to put x amount of hours in. Conversely, if you're "in the zone" go ahead and work a little late.

Tips & Warnings

• Without the distractions you normally have in the office, you can actually be more productive at home - but try to stay focused on work!

• If your kids are at home, make sure they know that you are WORKING, even though you are at home. You can establish a boundary where they cannot cross (such as your office door if you have one, or the room you're sitting in, etc) while you're working.

• Taking a break to spend a few minutes with your kids or spouse can really mean a lot to them!

• Don't let distractions at home keep you from working. If you sit in front of the TV you might end up spending quite a while there. Be realistic about what you can do while taking a break and what you should avoid because you'll get sucked into it instead of work.