Look at the title image. This is our Managing Editor Amna and her one year old. She is a working mother, but she is also a stay at home mom. Look at the title image again. This is rule No. 1-never work with your toddlers around (two minutes after this photograph was taken, there was a water spill on Amna’s laptop….guess who did it!!) work from home
On a more serious note, many people go to offices but some of us are lucky enough to be able to work from home. It may sound exciting but it requires a lot of commitment. And as with any job, there are rules that you must not compromise on, if you want to effectively work from home. If you ignore these fundamental principles, in all likelihood, you won’t be able to get the job done with maximum results.
Office Space
Like any other job, you need to establish a work station away from all the daily distractions to allow maximum focus. It must be a dedicated place where only you work. It is imperative that you work nowhere else and hold no other activities in this space. This rule is helpful so that every time you come to your workstation, your mind automatically switches into work mode.
Get Sorted
The most important part of working from home, is self monitoring. You can do that by setting aside 15 minutes first thing in the morning to develop an agenda. This means organising your space, scheduling your work in different time slots and most importantly, setting a list of achievable goals for the day. Remember, your daily agenda must be short list of doable activities and not a hefty list of items that will scare you into not completing a single activity.
Timings
The fundamental rule to work from home requires setting timings and not compromising on it. During work hours do not attempt to accomplish any other tasks or errands. Furthermore, be strict in your schedules. If you have decided to work from 12 pm to 6 pm with a one-hour break at 3 pm; stick to it no matter what. You may take sick days. However, during sick days don’t do any work at all.
