One year home office, things I have learned
Tags: productivity, career, yearinreview
Published: 2019-01-07 10:48:59

---
title: One year home office, things I have learned
published: true
description: Since one year i am able to work from home, there are good and bad things let me take you with me
tags: productivity, career, yearinreview, meta
cover_image: https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/ctuevpf9fodc260fnh98.jpg
---

To be honest it's just a little bit more than one year. Actually one year and three months. 

Ther first and most important rule above all:

###Wear pants, good pants that you would wear in office, every working day.

Something i learned pretty fast. When you get up and you get well dressed for the day you can draw a clear line between work and spare time. So you have a clean start in the day and in the evening you can look forward to get of the "work" clothes on the evening. 
Also my wife complained about me looking less and less appealing, so this is a must, you do not want to look like the troll under the bridge.
Positive thing, you are always prepared for surprising video chats coming up.

###Setting basic work times, but don't get up and sit on your desk

For myself it was important to create some kind of working day. So i set myself fixed times to start work. I start working between 8.30am and 9.30am. This is also easy for all people that want to reach me, to know when i am available. Important is that there is another BUT. I never get up and sit directly down at my desk, basically i created something like a way to work. So when getting up the first things are, preparing coffee and taking the dog for a walk, afterwards i have breakfast and then start working. This also helps you to create some routine and don't fall in the trap with oversleeping.

###Have brakes, don't eat at your desk!

This is probably one of the biggest issues, not scheduling breaks or eat at your working desk. Also an error that i made for a long time and sometimes still do. Eating at your desk or don't make proper brakes. I try to get up from my desk at least every 2 hours for some minutes. Stretch, get something to drink and so on. If you have a portable device, change places. If you want to sit on your couch for some time, do it! But please do breakes and stop working, to refresh your mind. Because of the dog, i have to go outside for at least once in the working hours. If you don't have something similar find an activity to get you away from the working station. It helps getting new energy.


###Invest in your equipment

We sit the whole day, so invest in a good Setup that fits you. Buy a proper chair, your back will thank it to you. I underestimated this a long time, now i have to see the back doc every once and awhile. Don't make the same mistake. Ask your employer for support. The company saves a lot of money not having to maintain an office spot for you so it is more than fair if the pay for a good chair and maybe a desk. Also get a keyboard that feels right for you and a proper webcam and microphone / headset, your clients and colleagues will thank you.

###Feel so lonely 

A big challenge that will not be easy or achievable by all is the separation and missing of human interaction. You won't see a lot of people. For me this is just what i have needed, i like working alone in my house more than working in any kind of office. But you will have less contact with people. I do sports and meet friends beside work which is enough for me. For a lot of people this is not. Honestly i cannot help you here. Some colleagues of mine are in skype the whole day, to have people to talk to. 

###Oh sweet sweet distraction

Another hard point, distraction. The kitchen could be cleaned, the garden needs some fixing and procrastinate on the interweb ;) 
Being home adds more distraction than being in the office. Keep in mind also your family can be distraction. When my wife is home i have the feeling i get less done than the times she is not. How to deal with this. Easiest way for internet distraction get yourself a website blocker that have timing windows so you won't end up on facebook or youtube. For everything else get back to the point where we said define work hours and make it clear to your family that this time is work time.

###STOP WORKING!

Also the other side you maybe end up and can't stop working. So set yourself a fixed time each day when you will stop working. I think this is a bigger issue than distraction at least for me. mostly i stop working between 6pm and 7pm and i do not read any more mails after this and i stopped working on weekends (except for high time projects, but that's another story).
You won’t do yourself any good if you do over hours each and every day.

###Stay fit

Maybe you are missing out a walk or the fitnessstudio after work. Don’t! Search yourself a sport activity to stay fit, because you will even get out less than in an office job. Good thing is you can go at afternoon to the fitness studio or climbing house. You define your work hours yourself. That’s a huge advantage, use it! I stopped it and it was bad for me, now i go climbing at least 2 times a week in a complete empty hall.


###Last words
This is my perspective, so it does not necessarily apply to you. Are you working from home and have other tips? Let me know! Do you think starting working from home drop a comment