How to get work done when your office is at home!

Before working from home you might have seen other people's photos on social media, sitting at their meticulously tidy home office desk. It all looks so harmonious and you imagine them smoothly putting the pile of dishes away while turning on their laptops and folding a lovely mountain of clothes while on a conference call! It all looks so achievable and perfect, doesn't it?

Hardly! Ironically it can be harder to maintain organisation when you work from home. While it has so many benefits, it takes self mastery to navigate it properly. With so many distractions, like the fridge and smartphones, you can quite easily see the dishes piling up on the sink and find yourself washing the same unhang load of clothes for the third time while your work tasks accumulate. If we don't commit to discipline in our routine, things can get pretty hectic and unenjoyable. The good news is that when you find what works for you to stay organised and be productive, working from the comfort of your own home can indeed be a dream come true.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

Designate a workspace for yourself! If you don’t already have a study or an extra room to convert into an office, you should take a good look around your house and pick a spot. It doesn't have to be a whole room but it needs to be a space you can call your own, preferably somewhere away from too much action like kitchens and play areas. It can be simple but make sure it's a space where you feel comfortable and ready to get stuff done! Make sure you look after your little area by keeping it nice and fresh at the end of each “shift”.

Having a personal roster is not a bad idea! A big advantage of working from home is being able to live a flexible lifestyle! It's awesome to be able to choose your own hours and plan your work around things you love doing or invitations you like accepting. However, make sure you enjoy flexibility without letting it turn into procrastination. Having regular hours ensures that you can get your work done in a timely manner, allowing you to get closer to your weekly goals each day and avoiding unnecessary stress. To help you stay on track give yourself a deadline by which to complete your work each day. If you work a little bit here, and a little bit there, you may not only end up with a scattered mind but you may turn a 4 hour work day into a 10 hour workday.

Be a list lover! It sounds so simple but a list is extremely helpful because it is a tangible reminder of what you need to get done during your day, before eventual daily distractions interfere. If you want to stay organised, create the habit to save 15 minutes at the end of your day to assess what needs to be done for the next workday, or even write it all down the next morning while your tea or coffee is brewing. Just make that list! Every-single-day! There are great apps out there if you prefer a more modern way to create a to-do list! Specially if you have a team of people getting through tasks together!

Set the working vibe! Some work from home extraordinaries proud themselves in being able to “show up” to work wearing their PJ's, underwear or nothing at all. Cool! It sounds all carefree and fun, but just make sure that whatever you choose to do, be something that gets you in the mood to smash out your daily goals. A good shower, a quick swim or even dressing nicely like you are going out of the house might help you get into working mode. After all, if you look and feel sloppy, it can contribute to a lazy mood.

Find your most productive hours. Everybody has a time of day when they feel their very best. Perhaps you’re a morning person, able of getting most of your to-dos done by midday. Or you might be a night owl, coming up with your best ideas and increased productivity while the rest of the family is asleep and the house is quiet. Observe your body and energy levels throughout your day and figure out when you have the most motivation and clarity! Adjusting your schedule accordingly and giving yourself the tougher tasks to perform when you’re at your peak can take your productivity to the next level!

Avoid doing housework in between! You innocently make your way to the laundry to chuck a quick load of washing in before getting started, when you notice the children left their half eaten breakfast on the table. You put the dishes on the sink and go get a cloth to wipe the table but remember you washed it the day before and it's out on the clothesline. While you're out there you might as well bring the clothes in and put them on your bed to fold later. And while in your bedroom you will always find another thing that needs to be done! This little jobs can go on and on... Before you realise, it has been a whole hour! While it makes sense to do some housework when you work at home, it can be one of the biggest distractions. It all goes back to having a roster. Allocate specific times and stick to them! Don't fall into the having-a-perfect-looking-home-at-all-times trap!

Let you family and friends know that even though you are home, you are actually working! When you don't have a boss at your back it can be tempting to attend your best friend's call and have a nice little chat. People get used to the idea they can call you any time of the day and little chats can add up to hours along your week. Again it comes down to roster. When you're on, you're on! Call them back during your break.

And do take breaks! Having small pauses are actually a very healthy way to stay focused and productive. Get up, have a stretch, drink water, make a cup of tea... And also, make it fun too! You may have a cafe as your office for the afternoon. Or take your laptop to a lovely park overlooking the ocean. Just make sure that you have all you need and that your picked location isn't too noisy and distracting.

Remember quality is better than quantity. So try to focus on one task at a time. Sure, everyone likes to consider themselves master multitaskers, but the truth is that we can really only do one thing at a time effectively. So shine some of that laser-like focus only on one project, and do it really well.

If working from home is all about freedom and flexibility, be flexible and free! You may have done everything possible to ensure a distraction-free day. But then the kindergarten calls you to say your child has a temperature or your best friend sends you a text asking if you could go and help her choose a dress for her engagement party. Things do happen and as the manager of your own life, it's up to you to handle it all. When your productivity consistently soars, there will be always time to go off schedule! So don’t beat yourself up if your day didn't go as planned. Do what you have to do and get straight back at it when you're ready! You will find that the more organised you get, the less time you need to get through your to-do list! And since you are the one making the roster, there will be always more free time for the things that really matter in life!