There are currently around 4.3 million people in the US working from home with an ever-growing number of companies hiring remote workers exclusively. Studies have shown that people who work from home are generally happier, and when your employees are happier the quality of work also improves. It seems like the trend of working remotely is here to stay, so here are our top tips on how to work from home.

Just because you’re working from home it doesn’t mean that you can work whenever you want. You still need to complete your job duties and the best way to do this is by setting yourself a schedule and sticking to it.

Find A Schedule That Suits You

Some people work better in the morning, some people are more productive in the evening. Neither is better than the other, people are just different. One of the joys of working from home is that you can, by and large, have a flexible schedule. Experiment and see if you complete more of your tasks with a 7 am start or even a 9 pm finish. Once you find a time that works for you then try your best to stick to it. By getting into a routine you’ll be more productive and have a more enjoyable day at work!

Have Set Hours

If you work eight hour days in the office then you should work eight hours when working from home. Treat working from home like you were working in the office, make sure you’re not late to your desk! Lazy starts must be avoided. If you start work at 9 am then make sure you’re ready to at your desk to log in at 9 am. On the flip side, ensure that you have a cut-off time when you finish work for the day. Because you don’t have the traditional separation of leaving an office to signify the end of the day, sign out from your email accounts and turn work notifications off for the evening at a set time every day.

Use A Designated Work Space

Working from home can be more unpredictable than working in an office thanks to there being so many more distractions, that’s why it’s important that we give some structure to our home work environment.

Distraction-Free Work Environment

From TV’s, neighbours, chores and food, there’s seemingly no end to distractions in the home. To be efficient remote workers we must create an environment that is conducive to productive work. For some, this means commandeering a room in the house and making it into an office. However, most of us don’t have a spare room so we have to get creative. Firstly, if you don’t need your phone for work put it in another room while you’re working. Make sure that TV’s or any distracting music is turned off. If you live on a busy street or in a noisy environment try using headphones and listening to white noise, this background noise can drown out distractions and help you focus.

Consider Having Multiple Workspaces

It can be hard to create a distinction between home-life and work-life when working remotely, this has lead to many remote workers having multiple workspaces. If there is a coworking space near you, consider renting a desk for a few hours a week to get out of the house and mingle with other remote workers. Not only will you pick up some additional tips and tricks, but you’ll also network with people from a wide range of industries.

Be Social And Active

OK, so our final tip applies to both people who work from home and people who work in an office. Having a healthy social life and an active lifestyle helps all aspects of your life. Working at home with an unstructured schedule can leave us working long hours with very little human interaction and movement. Organize to have lunch with family or friends and try to join a local sports club for activities after work. Just because you work from home it doesn’t mean that you have to be isolated.

The benefits of, and desire for, working from home are hard to ignore. Workers are happier, productivity increases and stress decreases. The transition from office to home can be tricky, but if you follow our tips above you’ll make the change in no time.

Filed in // Productivity, Entrepreneurship