Work from home quick tip 04

Ok folks, for those venturing in their first bout of working from home, you may be trying to figure out how it's going to work. So here is my next tip: SCHEDULE

There are differing opinions around adhering to a traditional work schedule when working from home. One thought is that if you're supposed to work 8 hours, start at 8, take an hour lunch and end at 5. That's all well and good if you can do that without distraction - something new home workers will have a ton of to deal with. I would wager to say that most of us can't.

Personally, I don't like schedules. If I need to be in a virtual meeting at a specific time, so be it, but I rarely if ever work "8 to 5". It doesn't fit my lifestyle. When I first started working from home, I would typically wake up around 5am and after throwing a pot of coffee into my system, I would start working. "Lunch" was usually about a three hours break to go play bikes then I would work until 8-9pm. Lately, I've been adopting a 7-7 "schedule". Of course, I don't work 12 hours straight through but I get my business done between those hours. You'll have to figure things out along the way if you're thrust into working at home for the first time, but I wouldn't suggest what most "experts" say to do by keeping a normal work schedule. Wake up, get some work done. Take a shower, get some work done. Eat, get some work done. Take a nap, get some work done. You may find that this method breaks the monotony and keeps you fresher, allowing you to be more productive. Just don't let that nap go too long.