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Home Work from home tips 14 Essential Work from Home Tips for Beginners

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14 Essential Work from Home Tips for Beginners

Willie KGFebruary 9, 20247 Mins read1k Views

Working from home is all fun and games until you realize how lonely it may get. Another major challenge is that it may be difficult to follow a work routine even though you have autonomy over where to work and when to work.

The dream was to ditch the commute and work in your pajamas but you realize that it may not be feasible to work in bed because it is a recipe for drifting back to sleep yet the deadlines are glaring at you.

So how do you create boundaries between your personal life and your work?

In this article, we share work from home tips for beginners to help you make the most of your day, be more productive, take care of your health, improve your earnings and all the essential tips for working from home for the first time. These tips are also drawn from my personal experience as a remote worker for over 4 years. Let’s dive in.

Work from Home Tips for Beginners

We have divided these tips into different important aspects of your life as a remote worker. They include work from home tips for mental health, physical health, productivity, work life balance and communication.

A. Work from home tips for physical health

1. Regular Exercise

Remote workers and people who sit for a long time have a higher risk of getting chronic illness. It is important to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine to improve your physical and mental health.

You don’t have to go to the gym every day for hours. There are plenty of YouTube fitness videos that you can do for just 30 minutes every day. Alternatively, choose any physical activity that you enjoy such as running, walking or dancing as long as you move every day.

2. Check on your diet

Check on what you eat. Working from the house can increase your tendency to overeat because the fridge is just around the corner.

To mitigate overeating on unhealthy foods, stock up on healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables and prepare healthy meals a day before to ensure you have enough while working. Don’t forget to drink water throughout the day to improve your digestion and remove harmful toxins from the body.

3. Get enough sleep

Have a consistent sleep schedule that allows you to sleep at least 7 hours every day. Quality sleep improves your focus and concentration, helps you rest after a long day of work and is important for your mental and physical he a lth.

Once you finish work, don’t be tempted to binge watch the latest series on Netflix because you can sleep in. Prioritize your sleep to improve your health and work output.

B. Work from home tips for productivity

4. Have a daily work schedule

Although you can work whenever you want, it is much better to have a daily work schedule to reduce the resistance your body may have to work. Plan for when to work and when to do your personal activities.

Determine the best working hours for you that you think you will be more productive. You can choose to work early morning or late afternoon. For example, if you are an early rise, you can work between 4 am and 9 am take a breather then continue until 1 pm and take a break the rest of the day.

Another good time block is 10 am to 6 pm with breaks in between. Having s specific work hours ensures you finish work before deadlines, improves your work output and helps you have a better work-life balance.

5. Limit distractions

Working from home is not immune to distractions, unlike an office setup. If you have kids or live with your family they may want your attention when it’s time to work. You need to communicate your working hours so that they do not bang on your door when it’s not family time. Once work time is over you can spend as much time as you can with them.

Another helpful work from home tip for productivity is to put your phone away or switch it off when working to reduce the temptation to scroll your emails or social media when you need to work.

6. Create systems

Streamline your repetitive process to make your work easier and improve productivity. You can create templates for social media or templates for outlines to have a system that can work for multiple clients. This will help you finish some tasks quickly and have more time for family and personal projects.

C. Work from home tips for work life balance

7. Have a dedicated workspace

No, you should not work in your bed. That is only realistic in the movies. In real life, it is a recipe for disaster. It reduces your productivity and can also strain your back, hips and neck. Choose a designated workspace with an ergonomic chair and a table that allows you to look at the screen at eye level.

Having a dedicated room as your home office is ideal because it separates your work from your personal life which you would not achieve when working you’re your living area or bedroom. If you don’t have an extra room, be sure to choose a corner in your bedroom and set up your workspace. You can also consider working from shared workspaces or coffee shops in your local area.

8. Have a start and stop work routine/time

It is tempting to wake up, grab your coffee and start working. However, having a start routine in the morning can help your mind switch and know that it is time for work. You can have a small routine where you wake up, exercise for minutes, take a shower, get dressed, read for 30 minutes then start working. This morning routine helps your mind to shift from sleep mode to work mode.

In the evening once you’re done with work, shut your computer and do a few activities such as going for a short walk to create the mental shift that it’s time to stop working. Train yourself to when it’s time to start and stop working to prevent overworking and burnout.

D. Work from home tips for mental health

9. Take regular breaks

Just because you work remotely does not mean that you should work all the time. You need to take regular breaks during your work hours and stretch or do breath work. One thing that works for me is to work in time blocks of 45 to 60 minutes then take a 10 minute break before resuming work.

During the break, I walk around the house grab a snack, and drink water before I resume work. You can try the Pomodoro technique where you take a five-minute break for every 25 minutes of work to reduce mental exhaustion.

10. Reduce or manage stress

You need to improve how to cope with stress while working from home. Many things can affect your stability as a freelancer such as late payments, rude clients, rejection and unending deadlines. Just as you take care of your physical health, you also need measures to improve your mental resilience.

Some of the things to consider include deep breathing, meditation and yoga. It is easy to be stressed, feel unmotivated and feel overwhelmed but always remember to be kind to yourself. Try to also do daily affirmations to improve your mindset and help you adopt a positive outlook on life.

11. Have a social life

Try to have a life outside work to build a meaningful life and improve your mental health. Connect with other freelancers and attend virtual or physical meetings.

Keep in touch with family and friends through regular calls, video calls or meetings to maintain social connections. Go out have some fresh air meet other people or volunteer at shelters to rejuvenate yourself and get meaning outside your work.

E. Work from home tips for communication

12. Update clients regularly

It is better to over communicate than under communicate when working remotely. Ensure to ask your clients all the important questions before starting projects like how often they prefer to get updates. This will help you meet their expectations and earn their trust.

There are multiple communication tools such as Slack, Zoom or emails you can use to communicate with your clients.

13. Be responsive

Working remotely means that your clients or managers may not reach out to you if you switch off technology. Being unavailable or taking too long to reply to messages can break the trust of your clients who rely on online communication to get updates about their projects. Remember to check your emails at least twice a day and respond promptly.

FAQs

How can I start my work from home?

To start working from home, you can talk to your employer to make your job remote or get a job in a remote friendly company. Alternatively, become a full-time freelancer or start a home-based online business.

What do you need to know when you first start working from home?

The most important work from home tip is to set up a dedicated home office with minimal distractions. Ensure that you invest in ergonomic furniture since you will be sitting for a long time.

What is the easiest work from home job to get?

Some of the easiest work from home jobs that you can get are data entry and call center jobs. Other skills that you can consider include social media management, proofreading, transcription, online tutoring and copywriting.

Can I make money working from home?

Yes, it is possible to make money online from home by selling products or services online. You can also start and monetize a blog or a YouTube channel through ads or brand sponsorships.

How can I make working from home less lonely?

Working from home alone can be a lonely experience for some freelancers. Ensure to add social time to your daily schedule to network with other freelancers or visit or video call your friends and family.

Final Thoughts

Being a work from home freelancer has its benefits such as autonomy and flexibility to choose your working hours. However, the thin line between work and personal time can cause burnout, stress and overwhelm. These work from home tips for beginners will help you improve your productivity, work life balance, mental health, physical health and communication with clients. Ensure to adjust your routine as needed until you find what works for you.

If you are interested in learning more about freelancing success, check out other articles in our blog and subscribe to our newsletter for more updates.

Happy earning!