How to Avoid Stress when Working at Home
Many people who leave home to go to the workplace every day think how wonderful it would be to be able to work from home. Certainly, the stress of travelling to and from work and having to deal with difficult colleagues will be minimised. Yet, working at home won’t necessarily get rid of stress altogether. There will be stresses of a different kind, such as managing your time and ensuring you earn enough money to pay your bills. However, by following a fewstress management tips, you should be able to have a satisfying career while working from home.
Manage your time
You probably won’t be committed to 9-5 working hours when you work at home. If you feel like getting up early and finishing by mid-afternoon, you can. However, it is a good idea to have some form of routine. If you work on projects, try and manage your time properly so that you aren’t working yourself to death in the last couple of days to meet a deadline. Otherwise, you will find yourself struggling to get enough sleep and your health could suffer. Have a cut-off point after which you put work away until the next day.
Find a dedicated work space
If you live alone, it can be tempting to sit and work in front of the television. However, that isn’t really conducive to getting a good day’s work done. Set aside a room, or a section of a room, as a dedicated work space. Have your computer there, a telephone, books, files and anything else you may need. The act of sitting in your dedicated work space will encourage you to sit down and work. If you have other family members around, this will let them know that you are working and should not be disturbed. This way, you will avoid the stress of trying to work, but not getting very much done.
Get out and about
One advantage of going to work is that you are constantly meeting new people. You’ll have the chance to talk through any problems with them, which is a huge advantage when you are feeling stressed. When you work at home, you are in danger of not having anyone to talk to. Make an effort to get out and about at least once a day. Arrange to meet a friend for coffee or a meal. Yoga or relaxation classes should help too. If you spend an hour or two away from your work, you will return refreshed, full of confidence and hopefully stress-free.
Exercise and eat properly
Even if you don’t usually exercise much, getting up and going to work will provide you with some exercise. When you work at home, you may find that you are sitting around all day and the most exercise you get is putting the kettle on. In addition, you may find yourself picking at food when you are hungry rather than eating proper meals. When working out your work routine, ensure that you fit in time to exercise and to sit down and eat meals. A short walk at lunchtime after you have eaten will do you a lot of good and, if your health is good, you are less likely to become stressed.
Stress your hours of work to others
It can be incredibly distracting if you work at home, but friends, neighbours and family members don’t appreciate that you are working. If you find people are constantly dropping by because they think you are free, you may need to make your working hours clear to them. If someone rings the doorbell while you are working, don’t answer. In time, people will become accustomed to the fact that you are working even though you are at home. Otherwise, you could find yourself being constantly disturbed and stressed because you can’t get your work done.
Take holidays
When you work for an employer, you will probably have set holidays. If you’re a freelancer, however, you may find yourself unwilling to take time off work. However, everyone needs a complete break sometimes, so make sure you book time off and work your schedule around it. If that means you have to say ‘no’ to a piece of work, then so be it. If you work yourself into the ground, you probably aren’t going to be able to finish it to a high enough quality anyway, if at all. Don’t just book days off to stay at home either. Go away somewhere, or the temptation to reach for your computer may become too much.
Working at home can be extremely satisfying if you manage your time properly and keep your stress levels as low as possible. Watch out for the signs of stress and waylay them before they take you over.
