Creating a Productive Home Office

If you have ever worked from home, then you know just how difficult it can be. While there are some added benefits to this, there are also some major drawbacks. Creating a productive home office is a necessity for anyone who either works from home, or happens to do some telecommuting. Luckily, there are a few methods that you can use to help make your home office as productive as it possibly can be.

• Create limits. One of the elements that are necessary to being able to create a productive home office is limits. By creating some limits you can have a clearly defined space that is specifically set aside from the rest of the home. Make the space as dedicated towards work as you possibly can. It may not need to be as "workcentric" as a traditional office is, but it should have a feeling of professionalism to it. This feeling of professionalism will help influence you while you work, as well as help keep others from intruding on your work area.
• Reduce distractions. As opposed to a business office, a home office often seems to attract distractions. For example, it is extremely tempting to have a television in your home office. Unless you will be doing a lot of video work this is a bad idea. Instead add elements, such as music, that can help you become more productive. This is something that will be dependant on you though, since what makes one person productive is not the same thing that makes another person productive.
• Create a schedule. Just as when you go to work at a regular office, or when you have any job outside of the home, you need to create a schedule for yourself. You need to know when it is time to go to work, just as you need to know when it is time to call it a day. In addition, by creating schedule, your family will also know when they can, and cannot, use the office for their purposes as well.
• Stop chasing butterflies. While such things as Facebook, Twitter, email, and so on can be used as great tools, they can also be huge distractions. Create, and follow, rules for yourself in regards to when you can check your email, and how often you can access certain social networking sites. Be sure to follow these rules, or you will be amazed at how often your time flies, and you find yourself behind on your work.