The Conference Coach™

Working from Home…sounds nice and easy!  Roll-out of bed, work in sweats, and watch Oprah in the afternoon – a day off right?

In recent years the number of telecommuters rose sharply due to advances in technology.  In addition, the number of home-based workers has been estimated to double over the last decade.

While I am fortunate enough to join the masses, working from home poses a different set of challenges than commuting to an office.  If you work from home or you are considering working from home, you are likely to face obstacles similar to those that I have encountered.   Working from home takes discipline.  The following 10 steps will help make you more productive and efficient while working from a home office:

1. Shower and get dressed!  Start the day as if you were going to the office.  It mentally prepares you for the day.
2. Eat breakfast.  If you start the day off hungry, you will graze all day and procrastinate.
3. Establish a routine. Routine helps create a plan and process for the day.
4. Establish working hours for a start and end time to your day and set boundaries with family members to avoid interruptions.
5. Have a designated work place that resembles an office – a work phone line, a computer, a nice desk and comfortable chair – invest in your work place.  Keep the area clean and organized. Working in a bedroom, family room or common area causes distraction.  The “home office” needs to be a place that is specifically for work.
6. Working from home can make you feel isolated – you are not able to run to the next cube to say, hey, I have a question.  Invest in web/audio conferencing, turn on IM and have office land-lines forwarded to your cell phone.  This will increase efficiency and allow for co-worker interaction.
7. Take a break each day and get out of the house.  Go to the store for a grocery run, walk the dog or work out.  All employees need a break to stay productive – working from home is no different.  Take advantage of the flexibility to work from home, but keep breaks to 45 minutes to an hour to avoid distraction.
8. Depending on how often you work from home socialization can be compromised – plan a lunch break with a friend or work at a coffee shop for a few hours.
9. If you have children, arrange for care.  You can NOT work at home with young children unless a nanny is present.  If you have in-home care, I recommend having the home office separate from the main play area.
10. Keep the TV off and the window blinds open during the day – natural light goes a long way!

Now that you’ve read my 10 tips, I have one more.  If you’re serious about telecommuting, make sure you have the right tools to help you be productive.  For me, phone meetings and web conferences make telecommuting a much more efficient and pleasant experience.  Copper Conferencing provides a great combination of audio and web conferencing services to help you plan your phone meetings and webinars most efficiently.

So, from my home office to yours…good luck and I hope the above 10 tips set you up for success.

About Conference Coach Sarah
Sarah Deatherage is the Channel Partner Manager at Copper Conferencing.  Sarah has been working in the conferencing industry for over 10 years and has developed many relationships with agents over her career.

Have questions about Copper Conferencing or need to do an audio conference or web meeting?  Contact a Conference Coach today.