With nearly one-seventh – or 4.2 million staff – now working from their own property, according to the Office for National Statistics, homeworkers are a growing breed.
But they have more in common with their office-based cousins than you may think.
Even if you don’t work from home, here are some lessons from home-workers that you can use to get the most out of office life.
Routine
Some of the best homeworkers will get into a routine. They will perhaps have a set time for lunch and a mid-morning coffee break. It’s the same in the actual office. Defining specific timings for specific events helps compartmentalise the day into little segments rather than a more unwieldy, more unmanageable eight-hour chunk.
Protecting your space
Demarcation lines are important for office-based staff as well as homeworkers. Homeworkers will have locks on their home offices, studies or spare bedrooms.
But if they have no choice to work in a shared living space, such as a lounge or dining room, they may have a divider to separate their work from their relaxation area. Similarly in the company office, your space defines you and there have to be boundaries.
The need to protect data is even more of a requirement in an office, where there is more information at risk to lose. The importance of backing-up and regularly renewing passwords cannot be emphasised enough.
How environment affects your productivity
Just because it’s not your own home doesn’t mean to say you can’t impose your personality on your workspace in the company-based office. The power of feng shui is still greatly under-estimated.
Tailoring your workspace to your requirements can lead to greater productivity. Many people like light, airy spaces, others bright colours, while some prefer clutter.
You can add some personal touches, such as favourite work mottos, lucky mascots and family photographs. Because it’s in their own home, there’s a common, often deserved conception that homeworkers care more about their workspace. But it shouldn’t be any different at work. A comfortable chair which affords good posture, good lighting, and a big enough desk are all key.
Time management
Most homeworkers are great time managers. They have to be self-motivated. It’s always good to have a plan because it gives your work structure. You can only do one job at a time. So take a leaf out of the homeworkers’ book and prepare an order of work before you start. Just two minutes spent doing this each morning could save you hours over a month.
Switching off at the end of the day
It is easier for homeworkers to do this if their work hub is separate from their main living quarters – such as in a spare bedroom, a study or a shed. If space reasons dictate that they cannot have their desk and PC anywhere other than a lounge, then many put a covering over them at the end of the working day.
Or they may situate their desk at the far end of the room away from central relaxation focuses, such as the television. Office-bound workers can be similarly kind to themselves. They can make a pact with themselves that they won’t use any devices at home or on public transport after 7pm.
Posted by the Secret Businessman