Working from home: the five golden rules

It has been all over the news this week that Yahoo's new boss, Marissa Mayer, has just ordered her employees back to the office, issuing an edict that will ban them from working at home. A renowned workaholic, she's worried that they are secret slackers, and will miss out on creative brainstorming meetings with their colleagues.

This appears to go against the thought processes of many business leaders over the last decade, but should companies really turn their backs on the flexible working? In these more aware days of the work/life balance, we have a chance to shape our work to suit the way we live, instead of our lives to fit our work.

Home working has huge advantages, especially for people who have used it to juggle a career and childcare duties, but how can you make sure you are doing your jobs effectively, so that your boss admits that home working is a good idea?

Here are five ways to maximise your efficiency:

1. Create a private place

Create a dedicated workspace where you won't get distracted by the rest of your life, away from your DVD collection or where your kids watch telly or where the dogs can pester you for a walk. Turn it into a sanctuary full of plants, artworks or whatever you need to make it somewhere you like spending time, even if it is just a corner of a room. And remember, almost nobody (apart from Winston Churchill) ever worked efficiently lying in bed.

2. Go on a digital diet

Employers fear you will spend all day surfing and tweeting, so prove them wrong. If you need to ration your time online, for instance only checking email once every two hours. There are programs such as Freedom internet blocker, which turns off web access for a specified period.

3. Schedule your day

With nobody looking over your shoulder, you need to set clear daily goals; otherwise you may fritter your time away. At the end of each day, make a list of what you plan to do the next, and have it waiting on your desk for when you sit down in the morning. And prioritise that into an A&B list.

4. Arrange some human contact

Most people go crazy spending all day alone. So give yourself a daily dose of human interaction, which you can think of as a reward for knuckling down to work. Have lunch with a friend, go for a walk to the local corner shop or phone your favourite relative for a mid-morning break. Recharge yourself with conversation.

5. Use the flexibility

Where and when do you do your best thinking and working? Some people do their best problem-solving while out running at dawn, or think best surrounded by the white noise of a cafe. So do what really works for you, using the gift of flexible working to your – and your employer's – advantage.

As ever, if you would like to talk with a Director or Consultant then please contact us at www.chestertongray.com