These days, practically everyone does a little working from home. And if you have the right approach, you might actually be able to make it work. The trouble is that a lot of people struggle to set up the space so that they can live a regular home life and be able to get work done as well. With these tips, you can make working from home more productive and less stressful.

Designate a Separate Workspace
The dramatic rise in the number of people doing work from home has brought the concept into the mainstream like never before. People who were always able to leave work at their workplace find it more difficult to do so when they spend virtually all of their time at home. One of the best ways to ensure that your workspace remains productive is to separate it from the rest of your home. Designating a separate room is ideal, but not everyone has the square footage to dedicate. Even setting aside a desk that is exclusively for work can make a difference in what you’re able to do while you’re there.

Minimize Distractions
While you’re working on a handful of administrative tasks, it’s tempting to set yourself up in the middle of your living area. That way, you can keep an eye on everything while you’re productive. Unfortunately, for a lot of home-based professionals, this just becomes one distraction after another. Most people aren’t that great at multitasking, even if they think they are. Instead, select a part of the house that you can guarantee will be relatively quiet and inactive while you’re trying to get work done. This helps to ensure each task gets your full focus.

Improve Alertness
People who work from home in houses that aren’t set up for it find unusual places to put an office:

• Walk-in closet
• Basement
• Garage

These areas might be the only place you have to get work done, but they’re not explicitly set up for productivity. For example, a lack of sufficient lighting or ventilation can make it harder for you to see or make you feel tired at the end of a long day. If you can, set up your workspace in a room with at least some natural lighting and perhaps a fan, if you don’t have a vent nearby. Otherwise, add task lighting and floor lamps as needed.

Keep Work at Work
It’s crucial to figure out ways to be productive while you’re working from home, but the reverse is just as important. If you feel like working from home means that you are living at work, you need to make a different distinction. Running a business from home allows you to set your own hours. Sometimes that means you end up working longer than you should. To help ensure that you can have a life outside of work, designate specific working hours that you can manage and still get all the important tasks completed. Once that time is up, you can enjoy your home life once again.

Be Realistic About Productivity
The fact is that most people aren’t going to maintain the same level of productivity while they are working from home than they would in a separate workspace. You should be realistic about the goals that you set, and try to avoid criticizing yourself too much if you don’t meet them. Learning to eke out productivity at home is a skill that you can develop. It’s not necessarily going to happen overnight. Start small, and increase your goals as your ability to focus improves. You might be surprised how much more you can get done with six months of practice.

Working from home can be a great way to catch up on your administrative tasks, leaving your other work time free for projects. For more information about starting your own contracting business, visit CSLS today!