Work from home while maintaining high productivity is not easy. Here is a complete guide on how to work from home while being super productive. Read on!
How to work from home?
Work from home might be more commonplace today, but a lot of us are still unsure of whether it is the right decision for us. This is primarily due to the lack of knowledge around how to work from home and how to do it successfully.
This article will provide you with guidance on how to work from home successfully. Work from home is essentially a trade-off between relaxation and seriousness. Both of these are antonyms to each other, but two powerful words to succeed in a work from home environment.
Many of us understand the benefits of working from home, for example saving money and time from commuting, working at your comfort, flexibility in time, ability to balance household chores and kids. But seldom do we focus on the productivity aspects.
There can be several ways of divulging from the regular work schedule since we are not placed in an external work environment. Hence we need to adopt and adhere to the work from home best practices to be successful and motivated.
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Ways to work from home when you are fully remote
Let us explore the different ways to work from home when you decide to go completely remote. It is important for employees and managers to figure out how to work from home effectively to reap the benefits of remote working.
Find a permanent place for working remotely from home
One of the most effective ways to work from home is by having a dedicated space at home for office work. This helps your brain know when it is time for office work and when you are off work.
Productivity apps to learn how to work at home
Use different productivity apps to learn how to work from home without wasting time. These apps will help you find ways to work from home with minimal distraction. They will track the amount of time spent on each task individually.
How to work from home effectively by maintaining positivity
Maintaining a positive work environment is a major step in learning how to work from home. Remote ways to work from home often get prone to miscommunication. Adopt a positive attitude and use emojis and exclamation to make your messages more expressive.
Best ways to work from home includes communication
Communication is one of the most essential ways to work from home. As everyone is remote, communicating about almost everything is important. Overcommunication might be the answer to how to work from home without being forgotten by the rest of the team.
List down work from home requirements
There are several pre-requisites on how to work from home such as tools and equipment. Make a list of different items that will assist you in home-based work. Keeping them ready is one of the ways to work from home, in a hassle-free manner.
Make your own hours work from home
Want to know how to work from home without sliding into a slumber. The answer is to find different ways to work from home with a productive mindset. One of the tried and tested work from home strategies is to have fixed office hours.
Get work from home training
Managers should provide training to their employees on how to work from home productively. This would help employees in understanding the different ways to work from home effortlessly. Remote work from home might be an entirely new area of experience for some of the employees.
Provide directions to work from home
Managers and team leaders are responsible to provide proper directions to their employees on how to work from home and different ways to work from home. Managers should provide guidance and support to remote workers to keep them motivated and productive in the long term.
While you work from home set your own hours
Setting your own working hours is the first and foremost step of how to work from home. Remote work gives the flexibility to employees to choose their own work hours. Ways to work from home varies from employee to employee.
Following a routine is the best way to work from home
While looking at different ways to work from home, sticking to a daily routine helps in conditioning your body and mind. It gives signals to the brain on how to work from home and when to work.
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Recent trends in remote work from home
Remote work from home has recently become an important and unavoidable part of our work life. This has introduced us to new trends on how to work from home. Here are the top five recent trends under the home-based employment opportunities,
Hybrid work at home models
A combination of remote work from home and onsite work will start becoming the latest trend. Hybrid models are perfect for those who wish to avoid commute yet need peer-to-peer interaction occasionally. Working from home part time will enable flexible work patterns and increase productivity.
Enhanced cybersecurity while working online
How to work from home without putting yourself at risk? Cybersecurity will be of great concern while remote work from home picks up. Companies will invest in cybersecurity IT systems and infrastructures due to the growing concerns for remote data accessibility and its security.
Work remotely from home observes reduced conference calls
Companies have figured out how to work from home without spending crucial hours on a conference call. A large number of conference calls have been resulting in reduced work efficiency as people end up spending most of their time on calls.
Flexible works from home timings
Traditional work timings can be restrictive for people who do remote work from home as they have to juggle between work and personal tasks. Most companies give flexibility to their employees regarding when and how to work from home as long as the task is completed.
Technologically simple virtual work from home
In the quest of making how to work from home simple and uncomplicated, companies have started integrating different tools in a single platform in an effort to reduce technological fatigue. Remote work from home will be simplified through these technological changes made by the organization.
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Benefits of working at home
Working at home might have its own challenges but at the same time, we cannot deny the several benefits that come out of work at home positions. Employees should know how to work from home and avail the benefits while still being productive at work.
Work from home employment reduces commute stress
Working at home means employees can work from the comfort of their homes without having to deal with commute stress on a daily basis. Full time work from home is able to ditch the commute and support their mental and physical well-being.
Work remote from home results in increased productivity
Do you know how to work from home and enhance employee productivity and growth? Working at home helps employees save time, achieve a better work-life balance, and combat stress which ultimately leads to a more productive output and enhanced efficiency at work.
Work at home scheme brings better work-life balance
Working at home can help employees achieve a better work-life balance as they come with flexible schedules. The control over when and how to work from home can be invaluable when it comes to taking care of personal commitments towards family and friends.
Working online from home allows flexibility
Employees have flexibility over picking their own working hours and deciding how to work from home. Working at home allows employees to pick their own shifts in most cases based on their preference. The flexibility provided by work from home career opportunities is a major benefit.
Work from home option improves inclusivity
Working at home options allows companies to embrace diversity as they can hire people from different geographic and cultural backgrounds. This can be challenging in a traditional workplace where a person has to relocate in order to get hired for a certain role.
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Top 10 working at home career full-time roles
Working from the comforts of your own home is no more a distant dream in today’s times. There has been a surge in work from home professions that even pay well. Here are the top 10 working at home career full-time roles,
Working from home options for affiliate marketer
For those unfamiliar with how to work from home as an affiliate marketer, it is a simple way of earning commission through referral marketing. Affiliate marketing is immensely famous as a working at home career because it allows people to earn passive income.
Home basis work for a blogger
If you are good at writing and sharing your thoughts with the world but do not know how to work from home, consider working as a blogger. It is an inexpensive and easy to start working at home career that pays well in the long term.
Home-based employment opportunities as an animator
How to work from home if you have an artistic and creative mind? Making animation as your working at home career and work as a freelance animator. On sites like Upwork and Freelancer, experienced animators can earn as much as $106 per hour.
Work from home on your computer as a copywriter
Another great working at home career for creative people is to work as a copywriter. You can write copy for businesses from the comfort of your home. If you have prior experience in copywriting then finding jobs on freelance platforms gets easy.
Work-from-home consultant role
Make your own working at home career by sharing your expertise in a specific area with others. You can also consult businesses on how to use adopt sustainable practices or how to use new software. Accountant, lawyers can learn how to work from home as a consultant.
Work from home with benefits as a grant writer
NGOs, hospitals, universities often need to apply for grant money and require talented grant writers to prepare applications. Grant writing is another working at home career that pays well. A grant writer can make anything between $40,300 to $67,000 per year.
Home office work for proofreading and editing roles
People with good knowledge of language and grammar can work as proofreaders and editors. This working at home career pays well and has plenty of opportunities for the right candidate. Another good option for those looking for how to work from home as a writer.
Clinical research work from home opportunities
Clinical research coordinators are required to manage operations during clinical trials. Few roles and responsibilities in this field can be undertaken remotely from the comforts of your home. Clinical research is a well-respected working at home career with plenty of growth opportunities in this field.
Engineer work from home as a programmer
Learning programming language and having a basic understanding of how to work from home can help in kickstarting your career as remote programming professional. Many software engineers these days are inclined towards working at home career full-time jobs.
Work from home full time as a product reviewer
Many people these days are turning into full-time influencers and content creators. They endorse products from different companies and provide a detailed review to their audiences via Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, etc. This working at home career is emerging rapidly in recent times.
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Top 5 work part-time from home careers
Ever wondered how to work from home part time? Part time work opportunities usually have a shorter shift as compared to a full time career role. Here are the top 5 career roles that will allow employees to work part-time from home,
Work part-time from home as a tutor
If you have extensive knowledge of any subject consider to work part time from home as a subject teacher. Virtual tutors are in demand and can earn $12 to $35 per hour. Take a course on how to work from home as a tutor to get started.
Transcription part-time works at home
Work part time from home as a transcriptionist. A transcriptionist has to convert audio files into written documents. Learning how to work from home as a transcriber is fairly easy and an entry-level role can pay you up to $25 per hour.
Remote travel agent working from home programs
Travel agents help in planning itineraries, providing the best deals, and make bookings on your behalf. Interested people can work part time from home as a travel agent and assist clients in planning trips. Travel agencies can provide quick guidelines on how to work from home as a travel agent.
Working from home part-time as a virtual assistant
If you are organized and know how to work from home as an assistant, then this role is for you. Work part time from home as a virtual assistant and handle office work such as calendar management, responding to emails, making calls, etc.
How to work from home if you are good at managing social media accounts? Work part time form home as a social media coordinator where you may even get an opportunity to develop a social media strategy for the company.
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Challenges faced while working from home online
Working from home careers have their own set of challenges. It is better to recognize them in time and learn how to work from home by mitigating these challenges. Here we will look into some of these work from home online challenges,
Work from home options has reduced supervision
Learning how to work from home under minimal to no supervision might be difficult for some employees. Work from home online means the employee has to be a self-starter and work without a manager overseeing every task constantly. Guidance from managers is minimal.
Work at home program causes communication challenges
Learning how to work from home causes communication challenges as there are fewer provisions of having a face-to-face meeting with other people. Work from home online needs remote communication channels and stay in contact with other team members on a regular basis.
Unclear performance metrics usually comes along in #wfh
While employees work from home online they are not made clear on what basis their performance will be measured. Managers should clarify to their employees how to work from home and their expectations from the employees. Make the goals and objectives clear to employees.
Managing home-based work schedule
The first step in learning how to work from home is to have a proper routine. A work from home online schedule not only helps in keeping track of the deadlines and projects but also brings a certain discipline in the life of an employee.
Work from home offices might cause distractions
How to work from home efficiently with so many distractions around. The best way is to have a dedicated workplace to work from home online during fixed working hours. Keeping a firm barrier between work life and home life is very important.
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Work from home best practices
Let us study some of the work from home tips, which would assist us in transforming our home into a workspace. A workspace that is well organized and planned can imbibe positive vibes and will also result in good work. We have compiled 22 tips suggested by experts from their various studies are mentioned below, defining the basic ways on how to work from home successfully.
1. Prepare the work to-do list for your day
Every day as you wake up before even starting for your breakfast, prepare the To-Do list for the day. It is one of the important work from home best practices, helping us to be organized and plan our day properly.
You must key in the times required for each activity which would include your meals, working time, workout times, any medical appointments, time with kids and family, and so on. Allocation of time is very essential and equally important is adhering to that time. It prevents backlog and unnecessary delays in each activity.
Note: Often we find that we spend more hours in breakfast or lunch at home which we would have avoided in office or would have preferred a working meal. Hence allotment of time even for meals is required for effective time management.
2. Set up a defined workspace at home
Set up a particular room or a particular area in your study as a defined workspace. The workspace must be equipped to comfortably place your laptop with the docking or charging station along with your mobile devices. It must have drawers and holders for files or important documents related to your work.
You must keep all the stationaries at your desk to avoid any non-productive time loss. Bright lights, comfortable seating arrangement, adequate cooling, and heating facilities inside the room are also one of the essential workings from home tips.
Did you know? One of the key ways on how to work from home successfully is centered around a well-organized workspace driving motivation and efficiency.
3. Develop exceptionally good communication skills
Developing excellent and efficient communication skills is the best way to work remotely. Clear communication abilities are considered to be one of the important work from home best practices since you would not be physically present with your peers, supervisors, and juniors.
They would not be able to visualize your facial and body expressions and may draw wrong or negative conclusions in cases where the communication is poor or bad. This may lead to unnecessary issues which may sometimes turn out to be grave, leading to work distractions and low productivity.
Additionally, you need to convey the regular work status and also need to understand the work details from your supervisors. Your communication should impart the message you want to convey, precisely and concisely.
Tip: One of the best ways to ensure that your message is being conveyed properly, is to prepare for a playback session from your audience, summarize your conversation at the end of any session and secure time for questions, answers, and feedback.
4. Faster and reliable internet connectivity
People with queries on how to work from home successfully are often concerned with their internet connectivity. It is always advisable to perform thorough research on the fastest connectivity options provided by Internet Service Providers.
Since you would not be utilizing office internet hence you would need to set up the net connectivity at par with the office. Else it may lead to unnecessary delays in browsing, checking emails, video conferencing, web conferencing, and any other activities which need a strong internet connection.
Tip: It is a common practice among work from home individuals to invest in a backup internet connection, in case the primary one fails.
5. Well-equipped on technical devices
Among all the common questions which are asked by individuals on how to work from successfully, a key one is what are the minimum essential devices that need to be set up for proper functioning at home? First and foremost, you need to understand the necessities demanded by your type of work.
Normally printers and scanners are required by almost every other job a person is engaged with. It is therefore recommended to be one of the important work from home best practices. A key point you must remember while working from home remotely is a fast laptop or desktop with proper storage space and configurations.
Tip: Ensure you back up all your files and folders from laptop or desktop into an external hard drive. Buy a hard disk with sufficient capacity, says about 1 TB to adequately store all the data.
6. Short breaks in between your work schedule
The best way to work remotely and remain physically and mentally healthy is to go for short breaks within your work schedule every day. If you continuously sit at a certain place without any movements then it may lead to pains, cramps, chances of being obese, and even may lead to arthritis.
Your brain also needs refreshments and break to think appropriately. Continuous exhaustion may lead to saturation, resulting in low productivity.
Tip: Medical fitness is a growing concern among people who work from home. It is recommended to take a short walk or a coffee and tea break in between work schedules. Rest your eyes by going for a power nap or massage them gently with your hands. Stretch your arms and legs to prevent fatigue.
7. Convey your work schedule to family and friends
Family and friends of individuals who work from home tend to misjudge or misunderstand the boundary between professional and personal times. Many are not acquainted with the concept of working from home, especially either the older or younger family members.
It is therefore very important to convey your working and leisure times to your near and dear ones to avoid unnecessary distractions. You must never encourage them to call you unless it is an emergency. Set expectations politely but firmly to not invite you for lunch or parties during your work schedules.
8. Utilize technology advancements to stay connected
Working from home tips shared by experts suggest staying connected always with the team. You must be available instantly within your working hours to build trust and confidence among your stakeholders and team. Technology nowadays is much advanced in keeping your well connected with the entire world.
unremot is one of the best products dedicated to facilitating remote working best practices. Other tools like video conferencing, emails, chats or phone calls, etc. are many options that help us to communicate effectively and efficiently to the external environment.
Tip: Your laptop or desktop must have webcam facilities displaying your image clearly during video conferencing calls. The other best way to be aligned with the rest of the team members is to make use of unremot: Visit https://unremot.com/ for more details
9. Stay fresh with proper attire
While questioning how to work from home successfully, people tend to be confused about wearing a house dress or maintaining proper professional attire. It is better to adopt a habit similar to the one being followed while at the office.
Shower daily and wear attire that is not too comfortable like your Pyjamas, which could tend to make you lazy. A near-professional dress is highly recommended to feel your presence like being at the office among colleagues. This generates seriousness and dedication to work perfectly and to work more.
10. Follow a healthy lifestyle
Staying at home provokes individuals to indulge in more food intake as opposed that in normal office hours. This may lead to over-eating and obesity which may hamper productivity and efficiency. Maintain healthy habits even if you are working from home.
Do not overeat, eat at regular intervals and avoid junk and fatty foods. Exercise regularly and include fruits and vegetables in your diet. A healthy body invokes a brain to work faster, smarter and quicker.
Tip: Walk, jog or perform free-hand exercises and yoga early in the morning to stay fresh and active throughout the day.
11. Fluency with computers and laptops
While answering questions on how to work from home successfully, experts focus on being tech-savvy or more importantly computer savvy. You must ensure your computer speed is proper, all software versions are updated, anti-virus is up to date, and is compatible with your mobile devices.
Failing to meet the key criteria may lead to unnecessary technical issues and problems. You will lose time in completing your daily work schedule and may struggle to meet deadlines. In turn, your stakeholders, team, and project work will be hampered.
Tip: Software specialists generally recommend checking your laptop and computer every alternate day for viruses and software updates. Health checks should be done every week to ensure the computer or laptop is working as per expectations.
12. Avoid personal activities during the scheduled work hours
Work from home sometimes invites favors requested by neighbors, friends, and family members. You need to skillfully avoid these distractions and personal commitments. The best way is to politely refuse them by citing examples of an important meeting or appointment. Slowly and steadily people would get adjusted to your schedule and avoid disturbing you during your work hours.
Tip: Even home repairs and other personal tasks, Eg: plumbers, cable service guys, or any other support person must not be entertained within the scheduled work hours. Either you request them to come after office hours or during the weekends just like you would have done working at the office.
13. Identify your most productive time slots
A person can seldom be at the same productivity level throughout the day. You need to identify the time when you are most productive and when you are comparatively less productive. Divide your workload in such a way so that the ones which need greater concentration and thinking are done in the most productive time slots.
The workload which demands less brain work can be divided into the remaining time slots depending on the urgency and priority. The division of time slots based on productivity level has a direct impact on your planning efficiency.
Did you know? Discovering your self competency level has a positive impact on your efficiency.
14. Adequate sleep is essential for personal well being
Sleep plays an important factor in the personal well-being of a person. A remote worker may fail to follow the proper sleeping schedule on account of the flexibility and luxury provided at home. They may have the notion that one can sleep whenever desired as there is no one to monitor their sleeping or working hours.
Though there is a need for flexibility in working and non-working hours, irregularity may disrupt the personal well-being of a person. It is recommended to follow a schedule similar to that of working at an office. Normal sleep at night should be followed and maybe power naps in the day.
Note: A person deprived of sleep tends to be irritated and mentally disturbed, which in turn has a negative impact on productivity and efficiency.
15. Buy a good headset with noise-cancellation
Normally when people enquire about how to work from home successfully, they are more concerned about work and personal life balance, distractions, and interpersonal communication. But they forget a very minor but important point and that is a good headset. Since a remote worker has to always communicate via phone calls and video calls, the headset they use must have all the required features.
Noise cancellation is an essential aspect which if not present may lead to call disruptions and disturbances. Your message may not be properly communicated and you may also not be able to grasp others’ messages. It may result in miscommunication and misunderstanding in many situations.
All headsets must have mute button features to avoid any unnecessary breathing sound or other neighboring sounds and they must be used when you are not speaking. Volume control is also an important aspect so that you can adjust the sound level, avoiding unnecessary damage to your ears.
16. Be proactive in accepting assignments
Work from home specialists can demonstrate their skill and efficiency only by completing their assignments as per the mentioned deadlines. They are more trusted if they are proactive in requesting assignments and committing on dates of delivery.
This brings them under the notice of their supervisors and important stakeholders. They may also earn good referrals which may result in further good remuneration.
Tip: An energetic and enthusiastic person who is proactive and eager to work on more assignments and delivering them on or before schedule eventually is noticed for better projects.
17. Start your day early
People who commute to the office are many a time bothered by train or bus schedules and traffic jams if traveling by own vehicle. The instinct forces them to wake up early and be ready for office. But when you work from home, you are not bothered by the early morning rush and may leisure out more in the bed.
You must try to get rid of the habit of wasting your time in bed. Instead, you must follow an early morning wake-up regime, however tough it might be. This will help you avoid the morning lethargy and encourage you to start on your daily work early. You can finish your work faster, and spend time with family and friends. You could also then retire for the day with an early supper and good night’s sleep.
18. Avoid social media during the work hours
Addiction to social media can cause serious disruption to work productivity and efficiency. Since there is eventually no one to monitor you at home, you may tend to constantly check your social media accounts. The habit is dangerous for your timely work completion and effectiveness. Concentrate on your work and solely on your work during the planned hours.
Restrict yourself completely from peeping into your social media accounts even if it is for a minute. Do not install any social media applications on your working computer or laptop. Hide all the applications from view installed in your mobile devices so that you are not tempted to open them.
19. Share your work status daily
An essential tip on how to work successfully is to prepare a daily work calendar or status report. The report must contain the daily work progress in detail and the next set of tasks to be accomplished. You must not forget to input the end dates of each task and if there are any deviations anticipated citing appropriate reasons. This will help your team, supervisors, and stakeholders to be aware of your progress and your plans. It also generates confidence and trust in a person.
Tip: It is advisable to build positivity among the stakeholders when you are working from home so that you receive adequate assistance and support in case of any work crisis or emergency.
20. Prepare your leave early
Your stakeholders need to be aware of your leaves early. So whenever you are planning to leave ensure you have sufficient time in hand for communicating with the outside world. Additionally, you need to ensure that your assignments are not affected due to the leaves. This will grant assurance to your stakeholders of non-disruption of work even when you are absent from work.
Tip: Always provide an emergency contact number even when you are on leave. This portrays a sense of responsibility on your part for your work assignments or project. A responsible person gains sufficient trust and confidence from his or her stakeholders.
21. Restrain from subjecting yourself to excessive work stress
Due to the flexibility in working hours and extended available time, many remote professionals tend to opt for multi-tasking and excessive workload. That results in stress/tensions and anxiety that affects both their mental and physical health.
Productivity eventually will decline and will harm work life. Our stakeholders after a certain point in time will lose confidence and trust thus negatively impacting our professional career.
Tip: Do not force yourself beyond your threshold acceptance level of work. Wear and tear of the brain lead to health hazards and damaged work relationships. It is advisable to avoid it as much as possible for the betterment of your professional as well as personal life.
Work from home has its many advantages and is now an option for many working people in almost all countries of the world, but individuals need to follow certain work ethics to be able to successfully work from home and build a professional career.
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