If you’re lucky enough to be in a situation (like me) where you work from your own home – you’ve no doubt experienced mostly good things, but also seen a few negative aspects. While I’m no expert at running a home office, I do have some experience both in my current job and in the past when I ran my own business from my home.
To get the most out of the situation, you need to do a few things. Specifically…
- Create a schedule that you abide by. This means getting up at the same time each day, doing certain things at certain times, and basically living by a routine. It will be a form of structure that will help you be productive.
- Take breaks at specific times. You need to get out of your chair and do something different at least every two or three hours. Why? One reason is because home workers tend to overwork – and you need to break up your day so your mind doesn’t get burned out.
- Work out. Yes, you need to do this. If not, you’ll gain weight and have less energy. I have a punching bag (a heavy bag), a weight bench, and some dumbbells. I regularly work out on the heavy bag, and usually do some weight lifting as well. Sometimes I jog in the afternoon during lunch (just a half mile). When I get back, I feel good about myself and my mind always feels more sharp and alive. I rarely see anyone else jogging at that time of day – and I always think of how fortunate I am that I’m not stuck in an office somewhere.
- Eat healthy snacks. Yes, I am serious about maintaining health – it’s important! So you need to keep some good things at home to snack on. One thing I would suggest is green tea. If you can find it, get the kind with ginseng – it is beneficial for your brain as opposed to loading up on caffeine all day. Also, have dried fruit, nuts, and chopped up celery and carrots. You can eat those and feel full…and not feel greasy afterwards. Healthy snack will give you energy and help you do better work.
- Quit when its time to quit. Don’t overwork yourself, or you’ll end up being less effective in the end. Stop when it’s time, and make a list of what needs to get done for the next day. You’ll have the list waiting for you in the morning, and you can forget about what needs to get done until then.
