1. Working from Home Can Save You money and Time
Working from home can be a terrific way to save money for a variety of reasons.
You can cut your commute costs, for starters. By taking public transportation for those occasional errands or at least relying less on your own personal vehicle.
Either way, your driving expenses will be reduced and saving all that money will definitely make your work from home experience better.
Working from home also allows you to reduce office expenses — many of the things you need are probably already in your home.
Additionally, you can avoid paying the rent on office space since the backyard office will replace that as well — that’s a big bonus!
Finally, doing most of your cooking and meal planning at home can help you save money on food.
No more eating out every day or saving up your pennies for Starbucks. Although there’s nothing wrong with treating yourself once or twice a week. It’s always nice to get out of the house for a bit anyway.
2. A Few Things You Need to Think About to Make Your Work from Home Experience Better
If you want to make working from home work well for you, there are a few things you need to think about first.
The first and most important thing is to have a good workspace with the tools you need. You need a distraction free space, a reliable internet connection, and a capable desktop computer or laptop.
The second thing is to think strategically. You need to make sure that you are giving yourself enough time to become used to working from home and you must have a strategy for keeping track of your work.
In other words you need a good system that works for you. If you give this some thought before you dive into the work from home life you’ll be much better prepared for everything to come.
Third, you should be prepared to invest the time necessary to develop new skills.
Many excellent tools and resources are available to make working from home easier, but you still have to be prepared to put in the time needed to make your work from home experience better.
There’s a good chance YouTube, Google and Podcasts will become some of your best friends in no time!
3. Tips for Setting Up Your Work Environment to Make Your Work from Home Experience Better
When it comes to working from home as a Backyardpreneur, there are a few things you can do to make the process as comfortable and efficient as possible.
I’m talking about more than just setting up your workspace in your nice comfy sunroom.
Start by getting organized. If you have a well-organized work space, you’ll be able to find the things you need when you need them.
Being disorganized can be a major distraction and that can keep you from your overall goals.
I believe there’s an old saying something along the lines of keep everything in its place and a place for everything. That applies double when you’re working from home.
Keep your work area clean and organized. Have a designated spot for each item – your laptop, tablet, important papers, tools — even a regular spot for your smartphone (okay, that might be going overboard).
Next, make technology work for you.
We live in exciting times. There are so many tools and apps available that can make working from home more efficient and fun.
Just don’t get overwhelmed — try to workout the best ones for you before you start working from home — or at least early on in your adventure.
There will always be new tech or apps that come along later — you can tweak your routine when you need to.
As long as you remember that technology is there to make your work from home experience better, you’ll do just fine.
4. Productivity Tips That Can Make Your Work from Home Experience Better
We all know there are lots of great potential benefits to working at home.
The first and most obvious is that you control your own schedule. No more boss to tell you how to divide tasks or when to schedule that next break — for the most part you get to make those decisions.
Remember though, just because you have control of your schedule it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have one at all.
If you want to be at your productive best when working from home, you should at least have a flexible schedule that makes sense for you.
Another great benefit of working at home is that you have more available time to be productive.
You don’t have to worry about traffic, crowds, or feeling rushed. This gives you more time to focus on important tasks and get more done. Overall you’ll have less stress and more time to power through your day.
5. How Being Proactive When Dealing With Distractions Can Make Your Work from Home Experience Better
There are SO many distractions that can get in the way when working at home.
Watching TV, reading, surfing the internet, working on your latest DIY project or Facetiming with mom may be fun, but they won’t help you tackle your work day.
If you want to be productive, it’s best to set clear boundaries for when, how and what type of distractions are allowed.
You might want to set yourself a timer for tasks or put your laptop in do not disturb mode.
Schedule your TV time for after work hours so it doesn’t knock you off your daily schedule.
If you don’t have a separate backyard office or a private sunroom perhaps you can set up an office in the garage away from family distractions.
Creating an exclusive work zone sends a signal to the rest of the family that you’re in work mode and shouldn’t be disturbed and that will help to make your work from home experience better overall.
6. Tips for Staying Motivated and Creating Better Work Life Balance At Home
Have a plan and set goals. When you start working from home, it can be easy to lose focus.
Having a plan and goals will keep you on track and help you on your way to a more productive day and week.
Take steps to avoid feeling isolated.
One of the biggest challenges of working from home is loneliness. Keeping a busy schedule helps, but don’t forget about human contact.
Schedule virtual meetings, take a break with your spouse or even head to the coffee shop occasionally.
It can be a challenge, but it’s worth it. In a recent study, 81% of respondents identified Loneliness as one of their biggest fears about working from home.
You have to make a conscious effort to add in face to face interactions or you’ll start to feel overwhelmed and that makes it hard to stay motivated.
Reward yourself. One of the best ways to make your work from home experience better is to always reward yourself for a job well done.
If you’ve finished all of your daily tasks early, cut out for the rest of the day. Don’t even worry about tomorrow’s tasks, that was already part of your weekly schedule. You’re still on track.
Reward yourself with some family time, go for a bike ride, take the dog for a walk — having the flexibility to do those things in the middle of the week day is one of the best perks of working from home.
Some Final Thoughts On How to Make Your Work from Home Experience Better
Working from home can be a great adventure. It’s all about being prepared, organized, setting boundaries and staying on task.
If you start thinking about these things before you make the transition you’ll have a much better chance at success. Goodluck and may your work from home journey be a great one!
