If you’re a freelancer, entrepreneur or worker who has the advantage of working from home, you are still bound by principles of time management. Regardless of where you work, it’s important to stay productive. We offer some tips to help you manage your time and get work done from your home office.

Keep the Home Office Separate from the Home

This might be challenging because your office is really just your laptop or desktop computer. When working from home, there are several distractions, as well as the constant desire to take sleep on the couch or go back to bed. By reserving a specific space or converting your shed into she shed office, you may lessen these temptations and diversions. You can decorate your she shed office in any way you want, which can inspire you to work hard. You may transform it into a “professional” area and hide your personal belongings from view. Besides, you could also simply set up a comfy chair and table for your laptop or desktop. If you live in a one-space dwelling, place a divider between your workspace and the living area, and don’t use your bed as a chair or desk.

Set Goals for the Day

Start your day by listing your tasks. When you’ve listed what needs to be done, determine which tasks take top priority, then work on them. Try working on each task until they’re completed and tick them off your list. You’ll be surprised at the sense of achievement you’ll feel by ticking off an item, and it’ll motivate you to take on the next task.

Get Dressed

When you get up to work in your home office, take a shower and get dressed. You don’t have to wear a tie or business attire, but at least wear something professional-looking. Doing the morning ritual of dressing up for work helps put your mind into a more professional mindset. This will also program your mind to focus on using your time for work as long as you’re dressed. It also helps that you won’t be caught in your bathrobe if your client or colleagues suddenly make a video call. A live video chat is vital to ensure proper communications with colleagues and clients so that the business can continue to stay thriving and building business. Therefore, showing up prepared is still as equally as important at home as it is in the office.

Design Your Workstation for Work

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Another way of ensuring the productivity of your home office is to make your desktop computer or laptop exclusively for work. You do this by removing any games or distracting programs and files, such as your favorite movies. On the other hand, you can use apps like music players, as listening to your favorite tunes while working actually improves your mood and increases your productivity.

Insist on Not Being Distracted

Working from home is fine if you live alone, but what if you have kids or pets? It may be easier to address office distractions, but your kids, pets, or family members are a different story. Make it clear to them that you can’t be disturbed for the next few hours, and put a “do not disturb” sign on the door of your home office. Explain to them that you can take few short breaks to help out with household chores, but you need to be left alone and undisturbed to get work done.

Working from home is not uncommon these days, and it can actually be a good practice for business to increase productivity. If you ever work from home, the biggest challenge is to discipline yourself to manage your time effectively amid all the distractions.