My Home is My Office: Tips for Successful Telecommuting

• Create a ritual and stick to it.

Clearly determine when you are beginning work and try to forget that you are actually in the comforts of your own home.

• Come up with a plan.

To make the most of your time at home, carefully plan out what should be done for the entire day.

By doing so, you can guarantee that everything is well taken care of. Also, take breaks especially when you need to do a lot of repetitive tasks but never overindulge.

• Establish a schedule for your other duties.

Do not forget your other responsibilities at home, too. Don't just put work tasks in your schedule. Spare a fraction of your time for your family, for meals, for relaxation, for doing the laundry and dishes, and for all other things you wish to get done by working from home.

• Make things easier.

Do not let work get piled up by focusing on tasks that really matter and must be immediately completed.

Get rid of distractions that take much of your time.

• Choose a quiet work location.

If possible, have a separate room, away from the living room or family room.

Aside from being noise-free, your working area should also be spacious enough for you to be at ease and in the mood for work.

• Keep yourself well-groomed.

As comfortable as it may seem, there is no better way to get hyped up at work and start your day right than taking a shower first and putting on some decent clothing.

• Stay in touch.

Make sure that your lines of communication with your clients and team members are still open even if you are working at home. Keep them updated with the progress of your work so as not to be accused of negligence.

• Use a timer to stay focused.

If it can help you to concentrate better, use a timer. If you have problems staying focused, and tend to surf the web or check mail or whatever, try disconnecting when you really need to concentrate on a task.

Ask everyone else at home to not bother you when you're into an important task.

• Set limits for every task.

If you have a line-up of tasks waiting to be done, set a time limit for each one of them so you will not end up getting stuck to one task the whole day.