Working from home 101

Patricia Rivera, CTW Features

POSTED: Monday, November 12, 2012, 4:00 PM

On a cold, rainy day, who wouldn’t want to stay home in lounge wear instead of enduring the elements and a long, wet commute?

The good news is that many companies these days offer telecommuting for workers. The bad new is that the pressure to be productive while working at home is more complicated than ever.

“You face new challenges when you’re working from home, and those include staying focused and avoiding distractions,” says Lisa Kanarek, author of “Working Naked: A Guide to the Bare Essentials of Home Office Life” (Blakely Press, 2010) and a Dallas home office expert. In the United States, telecommuting is rising, according to the most recent data available from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, which estimates that the working at home population grew 61 percent between 2005 and 2009. The Telework Research Network also found that 45 percent of the United States workforce holds a job that is compatible with at least part-time telework.

The pros and cons of working from home are well documented. Workers can set their own hours, but must be disciplined and maintain a regular schedule. Kanarek says it’s also crucial to have a designated space at home for work-related materials.

Other tips she offers:

• Equip home-office space adequately: Consider upgrading from old equipment and outdated software if it’s interrupting productivity and adding up to lost time.
• Get a comfortable chair: Forget about fancy tables or bookshelves. Invest in an ergonomic chair, which supports the lower back.
• Keep up with email: Stay on top of that inbox! And thanks to smart phones, there’s no excuse to not respond to emails quickly.
• Prepare to deal with feeling isolated: While not having associates around can sometimes be a good thing, it’s easy to feel out of the loop. Find opportunities to stay connected, if needed.
• Limit web-surfing time: The Web can be a black hole of distraction. Set a timer and get back to work when the timer goes off.
• Evaluate progress regularly: Throughout the day, check to make sure you’re using time effectively. Tackle first the tasks that need to be completed sooner. Use that timer again for reminder checks every three or four hours.

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