There are many reasons why you might decide to work from home: you might want to cut down on commuting time; save money or simply have a desire to spend more time with your family. The average daily commute for workers in Britain has risen to is one hour and 38 minutes, cutting down on this travelling time, is the primary reason that many people make the decision to work from home, after all it could free up the equivalent of one day a week. This extra time can then be invested in your work, family life or other interests. You will already be saving money if you work from home as it stands to reason that you not be paying as much for fuel or train tickets. it's also important to ensure that you have a dedicated work area as this can make it easier to account for business specific costs, such as phone, internet, electricity etc. If a desire to spend more time with your family is your main reason for working from home, it is important that you set “working hours” for yourself. If this doesn’t happen, you could find that the time you’re saving on travelling is not invested in your family but instead you find yourself working longer hours. Another benefit of having a dedicated work area, is that it helps you to make the transition from the time you spend working at home to the time you spend living at home. You and your family/house mates will then know that when you go into your “office” you are working. Try not to blur the boundaries by taking your work into family areas. Depending on the work that you do, whether you’re an entrepreneur who works from home full-time or an employee who works from home a few days a week. It is important to ensure that without work colleagues around you, that you don’t procrastinate. Office banter can be very distracting but equally a lack of stimulation around you, can lead to too much time on Social Media. Ensure that you are disciplined but allow yourself short breaks to connect with what’s going on with colleagues on Social Media, so that you have the right amount of work and social interaction time. Whilst working from home can save you time and money, it can also provide you with the flexibility that might be important to you. It could mean that you are able to take your children to and from School, it might allow you to start your day with exercise, rather than sitting in traffic. The main thing is to make it work for you, identify what your work and family priorities are each day/week and plan your time accordingly. Just remember to leave work in your “office” and family life to the rest of the house. Do you work from home? What do you do to make it work for you? Till Next Time Mike Gardner is The Time Doctor

1. WORKING FROM HOME
MAKING IT WORK
Mike Gardner

2. WHY WORK FROM HOME?
Spend less time and money commuting
Save money on overheads
Devote more time to family life
Get more done without distractions
Gain more flexibility in your life

3. HOW CAN YOU MAKE IT WORK
Ensure that you have a dedicated work area
Don’t allow work to spill over into family time or areas
Plan your day/week to ensure you get your work done
Set working hours for yourself and your family
Allow yourself flexibility to do the School run/exercise

4. WHAT NOT TO DO
Don’t spend the extra time saved through not commuting by
procrastinating
Don’t allow your working hours to increase on a regular basis,
just because your “office” is upstairs
Do not give out your home phone number to clients, have a
dedicated work phone/email address
Don’t spend too much time on Social Media (unless that’s your
job!)

5. THE RIGHT BALANCE
Allow for dedicated work and family time
Ensure your family know when you’re working
Plan ahead for big projects
Give yourself short social interaction breaks
Make sure you get some fresh air!