Many people could benefit from some simple tips to improve their life, but those people who work from home face special challenges.
From ways to succeed at work to how to relax, here are fifty tips to help turn your life around.
1. Create a healthy working environment. Long periods of typing in the wrong position can lead to repetitive strain injuries, headaches and other ongoing afflictions. A good desk and chair at the right height is essential.
2. Distractions cost you time, keep the TV off when writing.
3. Separate home and writing by not writing in a place where most of your daily activities occur. This can help you get into the right frame of mind to write.
4. Don’t be afraid to have an office full of toys if you have kids at home. They will need to be happy and occupied for you to have a chance to write.
5. Some noise and distractions can’t be avoided. Music or white noise can help to block them out.
6. Music affects your mood so careful choices are essential. Motivational music is helpful but soothing music may lull you to sleep or break your concentration.
7. Working from home removes one way of making contact with others. Make the needed effort to replace that by taking up a hobby.
8. Don’t let your day be an endless snack break. Being home keeps you close to your pantry-temptation is close at hand. Eat only at set times.
9. Keep healthy snacks on hand for when you give in to temptation.
10. Take proper meal breaks, away from the computer rather than grazing all day. A real meal is more satisfying and less likely to encourage further snacking.
11. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, eat a healthy, hearty meal, and don’t skip it.
12. Build in exercise periods to your week. Being at home may reduce your physical activity and so when combined with the risk to snack more, increases the chances of gaining weight.
13. Exercise can help you feel good by releasing endorphins and also help you concentrate. Make use of this to perk you up.
14. Learn to relax, and practice meditation if it helps.
15. Keeping work and home separate can help relaxation, as few people can relax at work.
16. Take note of when you are happy and why. These moments can be used as a focus for meditation and thoughtful relaxation, and once you know what makes you happy you can try to recreate those times more often.
17. Make a dedicated relaxation nook in your home. Soft lighting and furnishing, a few growing plants and your favorite books or music may help you unwind.
18. Don’t let clutter take over-have a clear out. Clutter causes stress and more work keeping things tidy.
19. Make time to be with friends and family, and keep up with their news and good fortunes.
20. Talk about things that are bothering you, be they work or personal. Solutions may be found, but if nothing else friends support friends.
21. Avoid jealousy when things are going well for others-this negative emotion can lead to more negativity.
22. Try to see the world through the eyes of a child. Their joy and love of life is contagious.
23. Learn from the wisdom of older people-listen patiently when they recount stories of their youth, as they may have a lot they can teach you.
24. Put time aside each day for time outside. The break from routine is refreshing, as is the fresh air. Take time to appreciate nature.
25. If something causes you stress try to let it go. When stress becomes the focus of your day then it is hard to get anything else done.
26. Learn something new every day to help keep your mind sharp.
27. Being your own boss is hard work when you are used to having someone tell you what to do. Set goals and aim to meet them on time.
28. Work hard to achieve goals-not meeting them can cause further delays in other work later in the week and can make it increasingly hard to get back on top. It also makes you feel bad.
29. Make your goals small and achievable at steps along a large project-too large a goal to handle can lead to failure, especially when it is hard to estimate the needed time. Reaching these goes makes you feel good.
30. Set goals for your life achievement as well as your work. Aim to fix up your home, lose weight, or whatever else is bothering you.
31. Be realistic. Aiming to rule the world within two years is destined to failure, and more negative feelings.
32. Set new goals when previous ones have been reached. Never leave yourself without the motivation of achievable goals.
33. Thought should precede action. Ill thought out action has a greater chance of failing or going wrong.
34. If something goes wrong with either your personal or work life, try to fix it before you go to sleep. Not doing so can spoil your sleep and prolong ill feeling.
35. Don’t dwell on your failures, now or in the past. Chances are you won’t remember them a few years from now.
36. When the day is over reflect on your achievements that day, and try to forget the rest.
37. Follow through on things that need to be done. Don’t put something aside with promises to yourself that you will do it later, because chances are you won’t. If it needs doing, do it now.
38. Money isn’t everything, and there are times when you have to cut back on the work that you do for your own personal good. After all what is the point in working 24/7 if you have no time to enjoy it?
39. Supporting your family involves more than just making money. Be there for their emotional needs as well, and spend time with them so that you know what is going on in their life.
40. Work isn’t life. Make time for fun and things that you enjoy, even if that is just a bubble bath.
41. Make work fun! If a visit to the zoo, or a wildlife reserve can be incorporated into what you do it can ease the stress and avoid monotony.
42. Learn when to walk away and take a break. There’s plenty that needs doing in the house if you want to change task, but don’t sit at the desk and idle. If your concentration is broken, learn when to walk away to refresh, so you can come back renewed.
43. Where you can, make changes to eliminate the things in your life that make you unhappy.
44. Learn to accept that there are things you cannot change and make peace with them. Don’t let them be a focus of your day.
45. Being optimistic helps you see the best in people and get the best from life. On the other hand people who expect bad things to happen normally find a way to make it so.
46. Find time for laughter. Read a joke a day to keep your mood up, and smile more.
47. Believe in yourself and your own future success.
48. Don’t listen to doubters if they tell you that you cannot do something-you are in control of your life.
49. Establish a good routine and keep to it so that you know when you are working and so that you don’t run out of time, and when you can relax.
50. Don’t stay in your pyjamas all day unless you are able to work well that relaxed. Getting dressed may help you find the right mindset for working.
What works for you? Any tips you’d like to add? Please share in the comments below.
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I contribute 51 tips 51. Always do read blog like your,Man it is definetly the nice and best for blogging tips post.I like the thing you explained about surrondings,I always blog with load music,i think that where i’m loosing concentration.
Thanks
Bisaani,
Yep – tip 51 – read and learn. I agree.
Good one.
Andrew
I enjoyed all these tips, especially the one about taking note of when we’re happy and trying to recreate that scenario.
I personally wear clothes that are suitable for an office environment when I’m working at home. this sets my mind to work mode (I don’t wear clothes that are too formal though)
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Julius
I tend to wear whatever I feel comfortable in – sometimes shorts when the weather is nice!
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Win The Latest 8G iPod Nano: Enter The Simple IncomeBloggingGuide.com Contest =-.
Great tips, your tips all make sense. My problem is my position when I’m working 😀
Thanks for sharing Andrew.
.-= Latief@AnotherBlogger´s last blog ..5 Tips For Writing Article For SEO =-.
Latief
You mean chair / sitting position?
What’s the problem?
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Win The Latest 8G iPod Nano: Enter The Simple IncomeBloggingGuide.com Contest =-.
Bad Sitting Position Bro, my back hurt sometimes but with drink water every thing is OK.
.-= Latief@AnotherBlogger´s last blog ..5 Tips For Writing Article For SEO =-.
I’m glad to find this blog. Above tips will be so useful to me. You know, it’s very hard to manage ourselves when there’s no boss to control us. Being lonely at home and negativity from others’ words are common things to be faced by most full-time bloggers
I’m never lonely – I have many Skype friends and a quick chat every now and then is great.
I don’t alone negative words to get me down, either!
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Win The Latest 8G iPod Nano: Enter The Simple IncomeBloggingGuide.com Contest =-.
Thanks, nice tips.
I actually blog “from my office” while my boss is not around – would love to have time enough (or the money) to do it from home.
Well, I hope I´ll get there some day 🙂
MiniTauro,
You will…keep going.
Thanks for dropping by and commenting.
Andrew
Hello Andrew!
I liked your tip about making short goals and achievable. Sometimes we have so many things in our head and everything seems to be like a big mountain we have to climb! Everyday day though is an improvement if we take out from our dictionary the word “impossible”. Everything’s possible and success comes to those who become success conscious.
Thank you for the tips and for your help.
John Mak
Hello John!
You are right…get your mind right / in shape / positive and you can feel like you can take on the world!
Andrew
Bookmarked it already. I really like the number 48 as I encounter that so many times. But don’t worry as I believe on myself always. =)
By the way thanks for sharing these great long tips Andrew.
You’re the man! =)
Nim,
I think number 48 is one of the hardest ones to do.
Andrew
Woa, long lists to apply 😀
Some i have applied some, haven’t. I absolutely agree with the point that family is the most important, and i like to be there for them.
That’s why i have a fix 100% blogging time, which is in the evening time for one hour, when kids are sleeping.
And then usually, watch movie or news with hubby.
Thanks Andrew.
Kimi,
That is a great approach. Family do come first and the kids grow up very fast.
Andrew
Very nice indeed!
Oen of the things I noticed working at home cause was sitting too much. I feltl ike my butt was flattening out so I now set a timer for 40 minutes allowing me to get up and move no matter what I’m doing.
Also, I now incorporate 4 days of dedicated exercise per week…two days for lifting weights and two days for walking. I walk for either 45 minutes or double that which usually takes all of the anxieties and (internet) frustrations out of me.
Steve
I like the idea of moving around every 40 minutes or so.
it is so easy to just sit there for hours and hours.
I exercise at least 5 times a week.
Andrew
Wow..Great tips.
I will try to apply your tips on my blog. I hope my blog will get many visitors and get high traffic.
But, there is bothering me, that’s time to attend my blog. I always feel less spare time to attend my blog. Because I can’t give 100% my time for blog, because I work an office too. So, I just can attend my blog if I have spare time, but, I commit with my self to always spare time for blog.
I started off working on my blog, part-time. It can be frustrating but if you can get into a routine, that can help.
Two hours of work on your blog each day can be very worthwhile.
Andrew
Wow … great list!
I wanted add a new one to the list (or was it already on the list?): Appreciate yourself.
What I mean by that is that when you jump out of the 9-5 world, you are now in control of your life.
There are still too many people (on day jobs) who complain how bad their job or their boss is.
On the other hand, when you have decided to work for yourself, you are now in control and have taken the responsibility to be the driver of your life 🙂
Cheers,
Timo
Timo,
Great addition – thanks.
Andrew
In my case, i have a room that’s solely for working. It’s like my office in my house. It helps me keep away from distractions like watching t.v. It’s a great way to make you more productive.
Nice list. I like “believe in your self and your future success”. That can be difficult at times when you are not seeing any results.
I’ve worked from home for over 20 years and have spoken to hundreds of home workers doing a huge range of jobs, and my top tip is to remember that there are no rules for home working!
The important thing is to try out different routines and ways of doing things, and have the confidence to follow the way that suits your own personality and circumstances. Even if it directly contradicts what your friends and colleagues do or the advice you read.
Hi Andrew,
Great list! I’m guilty of wearing pajamas most of the morning, but it doesn’t interrupt my work. I work best in the afternoon, evening and night. In the morning, I eat breakfast and have my coffee while listening to the news and reading through email, including reading blogs.
There is yard work to do at least 3 times a week, so that gets me outside and sweating like crazy. I do the yard work before lunch, then shower. I have too big a yard and house for just my son and myself. In south Louisiana, we don’t fight cold or snow, we fight heat and rain.
I agree completely with getting rid of clutter and keeping in mind what is and isn’t within our control. My office is really cluttered right now due to all the foreclosure fighting paperwork. All the clutter itself is very stressful. I have before pictures, but it will be a while before I have after pics. I need to make a set time 20-30 min a day to work on getting my office cleaned out. That way I’ll make progress.
I also ditto Dennis Edell, ever since I was laid off from the corporate world, my mom is still asking when I’m going to get a “real” job. I have a tutoring business and I write and blog. I have a feeling that’s never going to change.
Maybe it’s just me, but I can’t help but learn new things each day. We don’t have TV service at all, so we read a lot and anything we watch is online or at someone else’s house. Without TV, I choose watch documentaries on Netflix most of the time when I take time to watch anything beside the news.
Sherri
It sounds like you are having fun and wouldn’t change a thing.
Most of my family think I’m retired and don’t work at all!
Andrew
Many good ideas and tips. Personally I break some of them, I like to have a tv show on so I can take small breaks now and then in my writing.
Johan,
Why not turn on the TV when you want a break?
Andrew
Corinne
That is a good idea – thanks. I just need to find the time for it!
Andrew