For most of history, people worked very near their homes, allowing them to be in contact with their loved ones, and to keep watch over their houses and properties. It also enabled them to have a hot lunch. Today, there is a movement back towards home-based work. It allows the employee flexibility to blend his work and home life.
The work at home employee is free to stay at home to supervise tradesmen, look after his sick child, or even run his laundry. However, there are some downsides to working at home. Some people become too comfortable at home, or find the pressing concerns of the home base too distracting. Being at home to let an emergency plumber in is great, but working at home during a full renovation can be taxing. Following are some tips to maximize your efficiency while working from home. First, many experts say that it is important to have a dedicated space for your work at home. This allows you to lock your kids out while on an important call, have space for your confidential papers, and keep all your equipment up and running. For example, it's hard to be a web tech if your kid in your office fighting over who's toy is whose.
Try an out of the way room, and alert your children that you are working, and need quiet time. Another thing that is important is to clearly demarcate work time from home time. Many people find it helpful to have a special ritual to remind themselves they're working, such as putting on a work suit, or even leaving and re-entering the house at the beginning of the work day. This will remind you to keep focused on the task at hand, like writing reports or taking customer calls, rather than on the siren song of the TV in the living room. Finally, make sure to maintain an active social life outside of work. The office place provides many annoyances but also a certain degree of human companionship. Working at home may lead to feelings of isolation or loneliness. Head this off by joining a new fitness class, a book club, or even just arranging for a standing date with friends.
Make sure that you have someone to whom you can speak about frustrating work issues, something a coworker might listen to. However, you also avoid most of the issues of an office place- no more distractions from coworkers, no more catching colds from everyone's children, and best of all, no more commute. Working from home can be a godsend, but it is best to remember that work and family life should still be kept slightly separate. You want to be professional and focused at work, and of course, you don't want to take your work home with you. By following these tips for setting good boundaries, you can be very successful in a work at home technical position, or even in a call center type position.
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