How to Work From Home: A Quick Guide

In 2021, it’s crucial for you to know how to work from home effectively. It doesn’t matter whether you’re self-employed or working for someone else. Knowing how to effectively get things done at home is a must.

That’s why we put together this quick cheat sheet for you to get the basics of what to do when you’re at home. This should help you stay focused, motivated, and above all else – productive in your work.

Whether you’re a sales rep or an accountant, you need to hold yourself accountable and understand how to work from home.

It’s not that easy for you to be out of the office and stay on-task!

1. Lock Up Your Phone (unless you can’t)

Cell phones are about the biggest distraction since sliced bread.

Just try and ignore that sliced bread right there.

It’s tough to look away, that thing’s beautiful. But seriously, cell phones have a hold on our minds that is really difficult to break free from. If there’s one thing that holds people back from their fullest potential anywhere (in the office or at home) it’s cell phones.

This is easily the biggest thing to tackle for how to work from home effectively.

If you can, lock that phone up during your business hours. You may not be able to, though, depending on your profession.

For sales reps, you probably need to keep your phone turned on at all times. The best solution to this issue that I’ve found was removing the distracting apps. Start with taking them off the home screen (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Clash of Clans, etc.).

In case that doesn’t work, don’t hesitate to just uninstall them. That’s what I had to do with Facebook and Instagram eventually. For whatever reason, Snapchat just isn’t as addicting (for some people).

2. Designate A Work Area

Removing distractions is a sure-fire way for how to work from home more effectively, but, you also need to build consistency in where you do the work.

Best-case scenario, you have an area where you can get things done that’s far away from other family members, roommates, pets, etc.

Worst-case, you’re right in the middle of all the action in your house.

There’s something about consistency that we subconsciously crave. Working in the same spot every day will allow you to get zoned in faster, stay more productive, and be a better work-from-home employee or boss.

3. How To Work From Home: Start At The Same Time Every Day

Going off the consistency bit from the last point, make sure you start working at the same time every day. Not only will it make you more productive, but, people you work with will know when to expect to hear back from you.

Aim for 8 or 9 o’clock in the morning as a starting time. A lot of workplaces are flexible now about the time people start (within a certain window).

You can expect to have options ranging from 7, 8, or 9 am as start times. If your job (or a job you want) deals with different time zones like Pacific, Eastern, or Central – you may have the option to start work even earlier (like 6 am) or later (like 10 am).

4. Have A Strong Internet Connection

Anyone who knows how to work from home already knows how critical a strong internet connection is. You need to invest in your ‘net if you want to make sure that Zoom meetings go smoothly and you’re always current on email.

There are a few tricks to making sure your connection is solid, no IT certification required. The first is considering using an ethernet cable for a hardwired connection. This will significantly beef up your internet.

The second is making sure your actual internet plan is big enough to support your use. Most modern internet packages are plenty for things like streaming videos, video games, etc. so you’ll probably be fine with what you’ve already got.

Making sure there aren’t a lot of things going on in the background that might slow your connection down. This includes streaming services (Netflix, Hulu) or videos being uploaded, like if someone in your house is a YouTuber.

Tying It All Together

Understanding how to work from home is paramount to your professional success now that many offices are closed down. It’s critical that you develop these skills and position yourself with the right workspace and internet connection to get things done. We may never end up going back to the office, but we may never need to.