Working from home is such a great way to spend your working life, but there can be stumbling blocks along the way   

I have put together a few of the essential habits needed for a smooth and effective Home Based Office.

1. De-Clutter

There is no better place to start making a success of your home office than to have a good clear out and de-clutter of the space. Digging through disorder and mess looking for, but not finding what you need, will seriously affect how much you can accomplish in a day. Not to mention the fact that it adds unnecessary stress into your working life. It is vital to ensure that your office, desk or working space allows you to work at your best.

Clear out everything that does not belong there; this includes any items that have wandered in from another room of the house.  De-clutter, sort though all the papers stacking up on your desk by either filing, recycling, or shredding them.  The space does not need to be barren, just clutter free and organised.

2. Establish  boundaries

There are a few areas where establishing boundaries will help when working from home.  The top area is dealing with distraction and interruptions from friends and family.  Working from home is still an unusual and misunderstood location for an office.  So to avoid any misunderstanding, make sure to let everyone know, that you are working and if they need to get a hold of you, when and how would be best.

3. Set ‘office hours’

The brilliance of working from home is having flexibility in your day.  Within that flexibility you need to find a schedule that works well with your household situation and suits your personal and family needs.

It is no longer necessary to stick to the standard office hours of 9-5, but don’t let the flexibility get the better of you, there still needs to be a structure.  That structure can be formed through establishing your own ‘office hours’, including:

• Start time

• Breaks and lunch (allowing you to get away from your desk/working area)

• Finishing time

Having specific office hours helps you to stay focused and accomplish what you set out to do.

4. Create a schedule

You have now set your office hours; the next step is to decide what you are going to schedule in your diary each and every day.  There is an infamous Harvard study that reveals the power of setting goals and scheduling the tasks to achieve those goals.  In the study they found that the 3 % of graduates who had a clear, written goal when they left Harvard were earning, on average ten times as much as the other 97% of graduates all together.

With that in mind, what are the goals for your business or career?  With those goals in mind, what do you need to include in your schedule today in order to have the success you are aiming for?

5. Conquer Isolation

Sometimes the peace and quiet of being based at home is what the attraction was at first.  Just think about all the work you can accomplish in your quiet, calm office without the constant interruptions of colleagues, countless meetings or arriving at work after a crowded commute.

Even with all the benefits of working from home you may occasional have a day when you feel lonely?  There are many ways you can stay in touch with the outside world, and having the latest communication kit/gadget/phone is the first place to start.

If you are self employed there are online and offline networking groups you can become involved with and meet other home based entrepreneurs.  If you are an employee make sure you are building strong work relationships with colleagues by getting involved.  Attend any social events, parties, industry events or leaving dos you can.

The benefits of working from home are plentiful, but you need to spend the time to make sure everything is in place so that it will allow you to enjoy those benefits. These tips would be my recommendation of where to start.

About the Author:

Rachael Ross is the founder of Purely Peppermint, a unique consultancy providing specialist services that enables individuals and organisations to develop cost efficient and highly effective home working environments.  With training in design she uses her creativity to see the potential in an office space even when it is filled with clutter. 

Rachael Ross of Purely Peppermint.com is a home and office organising expert specialising in helping those that work from home.  She works with individuals and business by providing bespoke practical solutions for their home office and the issues that arise when being based at home. 

She speaks passionately on the subject of becoming organised and is invited to speak regularly at conferences and seminars.  Originally from Canada, Rachael has been living in London for more than 20 years and understands home based office issues from both the North American and European stand point. Rachael was invited to the Home Business Summit at the House of Commons to advise central government on how to improve and support home businesses.

Rachael is focused on her clients achieving productive and effective results. Her continual commitment can be seen through the monthly newsletter, packed full of practical tips and solutions to all your home office troubles. 

For more information on Purely Peppermint and a chance to sign up to her newsletter please visit·www.purelypeppermint.com or call Rachael on +44 07971 871 308.

Contact Rachael at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.