If you are a parent with young children or you have other commitments that mean you need a part time job that gives you the opportunity to work from home then there are an increasing number of options out there. Indeed, working from home is not just for those of you with families or others to look after.

Part time jobs where you are working from home can sound like the dream job. No stressful commutes, no travel expenses, no need to head out in the dark mornings in winter weather or sit in an office when the sun is shining outside.

And, for some of you, that idea of doing part time jobs from home means you don’t need to listen to all the workplace banter and play ‘office politics’ with bosses or workmates who you might not get along with.

Yes, there are lots of advantages to working from home.

However, working from home doing part time jobs, whether it is just one part time job or multiple roles, can come with perils. Your home is your own and your family space and it can coıme with lots of distractions – all perfectly set up for procrastination or disturbances when you are hard at work.

In the long term, remaining productive when you are working from home can come with challenges. In a previous article, we looked at how to boss working from home whilst looking after children who are also at home.

In this article, we will look at all the strategies you can use to remain productive when you are working from home, whatever your circumstances. So whether you have children or others to care for, you share a home with another or others, or you are living alone, let’s look at how you can be productive, successful and healthy whilst working from home.

Because working from home, however many hours a week you are doing, is not just about being productive. It’s also about your wellbeing and remaining motivated to get your work done whilst maintaining a good balance between work time and rest time.

Make Sure You Have A Designated Work Space

Having a designated work space when working from home is crucial. It might be tempting to think you can get the laptop out and lounge with it on the sofa with the TV blurring away in the background but this is not good for productivity.

However big or small your home is, make sure you create a designated workspace. For some types of work from home jobs, this can be easy. You might have a studio in your shed or an outhouse or you might do hands on work in your garage.

For desk jobs, in an ideal world, your designated workspace will be a separate room with good natural lighting. But don’t worry if this is not an option. Not everyone has the luxury of all that extra space.

If your designated workspace needs to be in the lounge, have an are where you set up for work and keep that area the same all the time you are working. This helps you to keep focussed, knowing you are in place for work and not merging home life with work life.

Get Ready For Work

The thought of working from home can conjure up happy images of sitting around in your pyjamas. After all, who is going to see you?

However, resist the temptation of sitting around in your pyjamas and working in your pyjamas. Getting ‘ready for work’ will help you to boost your productivity because you will be changing from your home head to your work head.

Have a routine where you set the alarm (if necessary) and get up at the same time for work. Have a shower, have breakfast and get ready for work. If your part time job is a role where you need overalls or specialist clothing, then this will be easier for you.

If you are doing the type of part time job where you are sitting at a desk, try to wear clothes that make you feel like you are at the office.

Create The Best Atmosphere For Yourself With Sounds

Where possible, get rid of any distracting sounds in your home that will take your concentration away from your work. This is where a separate workspace is beneficial. Think about your wellness as well as your work and create an atmosphere where you can feel both calm and productive. Choose music that boosts both your concentration and your mood.

Maintain A Healthy Diet

One of the challenges of working from home can be the maintenance of a healthy diet. Keeping healthy, however, will boost your mood and also your productivity.

When you work from home, the challenge for you is knowing that the fridge is there, beckoning you – especially if you are someone prone to procrastination. You also know what temptations lie in the fridge or the cupboards.

Make sure you keep any snacks healthy. Keep them separate from the rest of the goodies you might have around and keep your mealtimes regular. When you are working, try to drink water rather than fizzy and sugary drinks and try to keep caffeinated drinks to a minimum.

This will help you to sleep better, too, boosting productivity.

Remove Social Media Temptation

If your part time job involves dealing with social media accounts, this can obviously be tricky. If, however, you don’t need to do any social media activity when you are working, remove the temptation.

When you’re working from home, it can be easy to just stray into varioıus social media outlets for ‘just a minute’ and before you know it, you’ve been scrolling or chatting online on line for over an hour.

If you are working on a laptop, remove the social media notifications from your browser. Likewise, if you have your smart phone nearby; get rid of the ‘pings’ that are there to tempt you away from your work. If it’s an emergency, someone will call you. Otherwise, those pings can wait until the end of your work day or when it’s time for your break.

Have The Best Tools For The Job

Just because you are working from home, doesn’t mean you should make do and mend with the equipment you have got. Whatever type of part time job you are doing, make sure you have the best tools for the job. If this is a desk job where you need internet, for example, invest in the best connection you can get. This will help you to finish tasks quickly and prevent frustration caused by a slow connection that keeps cutting out.

Working from home might mean you need to do virtual meetings so a good internet connection is essential for your professionalism, your productivity and your wellbeing.

Not having the right tools for whatever type of job you are doing can cause frustration that can lead to stress if you can’t get jobs done as quickly as you would like to or need to.

Take A Break

When you are working from home, it’s important that you incorporate breaks into your work day. Even if you are working part time, you still need to give yourself breaks so that you return your work afterwards feeling refreshed and, therefore, more productive.

Taking a break is not just about downing tools for a short time. Make sure you move away from the workspace. If possible, get some fresh air by going out for a walk. If the weather’s bad, do some yoga stretches or some meditation.

Try to shut work out completely whilst you are on your break so you can clear your head for the next part of your working day.

How often you take breaks and how long you take them for is up to you, depending on who you are working for. Be realistic about how loıng you want your working day to be and set yourself realistic goals to reach before you take your breaks so that they become a reward and you can return to your work, ready to take on the next task.

Keep Work Life And Home Life Separate

Don’t mix the two. This is easier if you have a separate office or studio because you can close the door on your workspace. If your desk is a setup that is also part of your main living space, you need to create a routine where you have work space and home space.

At the end of each work day, clear your work things away to a place where they are out of sight. You have clocked off for the day and now it’s time to relax or do other activities that are not related to work. If you leave your work equipment around, your mind won’t be switched off completely and this will affect your productivity.

Communicate Your Work Hours To Family And Friends

It’s important, when you work from home, that your family and friends know what hours you are working and that you are not available during these times.

When you work from home, it’s quite common for family and friends to think you’re not really working and so they can call on you whenever they like. This can prove troublesome if you have friends with children who think you will be able to babysit their children because you are at home whilst they need to go out to work. Or you might have friends and family who feel they can drop by for a chat whenever they like because they know you are at home.

Communicating your hours of work will hopefully avoid any confusion and prevent family and friends from being offended if you tell them you are not available for them at particular times.

Network And Communicate

Working from home can sometimes become a lonely job so make sure you network and communicate with others in the same field as yourself.

If you work for yourself, network with others online and get to know people so you can meet up with those local to you and exchange ideas or just socialise.

If you are working for a company that gives you the option to work from home, take time to go into the workplace occasionally to catch up with colleagues and keep in touch with other human beings doing the same work as you.

Look After Your Professional Development

Working from home in a part time job doesn’t mean you need to be in a dead end role. If you are working for a company, take advantage of their professional development programmes that they might have in place. If you are working for yourself, take online courses or courses in training centres where you will also get the opportunity to make contacts as well as build on your knowledge and skills.

Look After Your Mental Health

The tips listed above are not just about remaining proıductive whilst you are working from home but also about contributing to positive mental health.

Exercise is also beneficial to mental health so whatever type of work you are doing whilst you are at home, make sure you make space in your day for exercise, too, getting outside if possible.

Working from home can be hugely rewarding and getting these steps in place will help you to succeed and maintain a healthy distance between work life and home life.