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How to Successfully Work From Home

By: Lorraine Pirihi

Working from home can be a most effective way to be more productive! Today's open plan offices stop many people from getting their work done. The constant noise, phones ringing and colleagues interrupting can drive anyone to distraction! Many people would dramatically boost their productivity if they could spend some or all of their workday out of the main office and join the thousands of small business owners who work from home. However there are a few rules you need to follow to do this successfully:

Establish a Routine?
Decide on a starting and finishing time. Include breaks.

Plan Your Day
Prepare a 'to do list' each day and action it.

Dress for Success
It's okay to occasionally "chill out" in your daggy old clothes, however you'll feel much better in comfortable casual gear. How you look will affect how you feel and how you perform.

Clean out the Clutter
Keep your work area clean and tidy. You'll work from home far more effectively and reduce the stress levels.

Organise Your Work Area
Have the right tools and systems to work with - an appropriate chair, desk, computer, filing system.

Group Tasks Together
Divide your day into similar activities. Make all phone calls in the morning and work on important tasks. Do errands later in the afternoon after the lunch-time rush or when you go to pick up the kids.

Learn How to Say NO!
Inform your family and friends of your working hours and that because you're working from home doesn't mean you're 'available'.

Take Time Out for You
It can be easy to lose yourself in your work. Take time to smell the roses…and make human contact.

The Final Word
Not everyone can work from home successfully. Some need the daily discipline and people interaction encountered in the office. However, for many others, being able to work from home has greatly improved their productivity and enhanced their lifestyle. They have more flexibility, more time and the opportunity to work much more effectively without all the usual distractions encountered in the traditional office environment.

About the Author

Lorraine Pirihi is Australia's Personal Productivity Specialist and Leading Life Coach. Her business The Office Organiser specialises in showing small business owners and managers, how to get organised at work so they can have a life! Lorraine is also a dynamic speaker and has produced many products including "How to Survive and Thrive at Work!"

To subscribe to her free ezine visit www.office-organiser.com.au

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