How to Structure Your Day When You Work from Home

Sometimes, working from home can be difficult. With family and other distractions, how could you get anything done?

Undoubtedly, discipline is the key to succeeding as a work-from-home assistant. While you may have good and bad days, here are ways to structure your day when you work from home:

Schedule your time appropriately. Scheduling your time is the most important thing when it comes to working from home. If you have children, make sure you add their schedules to your calendar—that way, you can plan your work properly. Also, detail your schedule to the smallest tasks such as picking up your children from school or running to the grocery store.
Get into a routine. Pretend you’re physically going to work every morning and get into a set routine with your family. Routines are proven to help virtual workers reach success. If you change your working times, it may confuse the people around you—not forgetting putting you in an imbalance—so make sure you have a set daily routine.
Set aside time for your daily needs. Many work-from-home employees forget they must set time to eat, gym or anything else that a traditional employee would do—schedule your lunch time and fitness needs in your calendar too.
Schedule breaks. It can be tempting to wok throughout the day because there’s nobody clocking your time, but if you want to be productive, make sure you schedule small breaks throughout your day.
Use a whiteboard for brainstorming—experts say it helps us visualise our tasks.
Pin your calendar to a corkboard so that you may constantly have a view of your schedule for the day.
Have a big clock in your office so that you can have a view of how long it is taking you to complete tasks; also, to keep to your schedule.
Use only one room for your work. The most successful virtual employees set up an office in their home for them to work. Avoid working on your bed or in the TV room—these areas are distracting. It’s important to have a set office space for your work.
Don’t take work elsewhere. This means that when your schedule says work time is over, don’t take your laptop and work in your bedroom or while you cook etc. It’s important to separate home time with work time, so as soon as you leave your office space, work ends.

With these nine tips in place, it will be easier for you to have structure in your home and work life.