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How to Create a Work From Home Schedule
Tips for Creating a Work From Home Schedule
While working from home might feel like a dream…at least at first, there can also be innumerable challenges. As someone who’s worked from home since 2012, I can say that creating a schedule has been a complete game-changer, and is something that I always recommend for those who are new to working from home.
Define Your Working Hours
Depending on your working arrangement, this might already be set by your employer or client, however, if it’s not, make it a priority to do this yourself. If you work directly with customers, clients, or team members you might find that typical 9–5 hours work well for you. Or, you can always adjust this depending on your own time zone and those you work with.
Another idea is to choose a split shift schedule. This might look like working for 4–6 hours in the morning/afternoon and then putting in an additional hour or two later on in the evening. This often works well for parents wanting to spend time with their young children.
In fact, I really like the split shift schedule and am doing this now, as I’m currently writing this at 8 PM. I find that I lag in the afternoon but typically get another spurt of energy around 7–9 PM, which allows me to rest in the afternoon and get the rest of my work done later in the evening.
Regardless of what you do, find a schedule that works for you and stick to it. Or, try a few different options until you find a schedule that makes you feel productive and works for your lifestyle. Following set business hours will also help you to avoid the trap of working 24 hours a day that is easy for remote workers to fall into.
Recognize Your Biggest Distractions + Hurdles
When I started working remotely, this was one of my biggest struggles. It’s important to recognize early on where you might get tripped up with working online. For example, you could find that whenever you are faced with a difficult work task, you face the temptation of checking…