Making the transition from working in an office to working from home

Making the transition from working in an office to working from home is a big change. Most people find to be successful, there are a lot of adjustments they need to make. One of the hardest challenges for people accustomed to working in a structured office setting find is trying to adapt to the home environment where lots of non-work related activity takes place.

Between family, chores, projects, telephone and other disruptions, the adjustment to using a home-based office can be rough. Not to mention the temptations. If you are making the transition from the workplace to home, at first, the change of pace may feel like a vacation. It's sooo easy to be tempted to be lax once your mind begins to drift to the other things happening around the house and/or neighborhood. You'll definitely have to give yourself boundaries.

Set up a separate workspace

One of the biggest mistakes some people make is not setting aside a designated space that is restricted to work activities. Before, or as you make the transition to working from home, this should be a top priority. Without a proper area to work, this is likely to lead to many problems, including distractions, inability to focus and disorganization. A separate workspace allows you to avoid mixing work with your personal life. I've found this makes a huge difference, especially if other people are home when you're working.

Get into the right frame of mind

To avoid losing valuable time and/or decreasing your productivity, it is a good idea to immediately put yourself in the right mindset. This way, you can avoid most potential hurdles when making the changeover. The last thing you want to do is trip and fall into the pitfalls of working from home. Set yourself in the mindset that your home is your workplace now and you'll need to accomplish the same amount of work you did before and maintain the same level of quality. For some that entails getting up early to shower and get dressed for work, for others that means setting a firm schedule. Determine any personal obstacles and then find a solution that works for you.

Make adjustments for family

Home distractions are different than work distractions. Not only is this transition a big adjustment for you, but also for your family. At home, it's much easier for others to interrupt you, because to them you're "home" and not at work. To avoid conflict, it's important to make it clear to everyone from the beginning, that even while you're home, nothing has changed. You still need to do the same things you did before when you left home for work every morning.

Gain an ability to separate distractions

Once you get your new home workspace together it becomes easier to ignore all those temptations and distractions because you'll be in a working environment.

• Silence your personal cellphone so you aren't tempted to check notifications.
• Hang office hours on the room's door if you need to as a reminder yourself and everyone else that you need to work at specific times of the day.
• Close out any tabs to non-work websites so you don't end up wasting time on social media, personal email, shopping, or games.

Distractions are one of the biggest hurdles people often find in the transition of moving from office to home office. Identify your primary distractions and then take steps to eliminate them and the process will be easier. 

Remember to socialize

Leaving the office setting where you are working with others in your line of work can be one of the most difficult parts of transitioning to telecommuting or a self-owned business from home. It's often a hard adjustment going from having professional or friendly interaction every day to the home environment where it's more secluded and you are separated from the daily activity of your colleagues.

• Maintain regular contact with your colleagues
• Strive to connect with other like-minded professionals
• Network and keep yourself visible in your field

These are all things that can help you get beyond any feelings of isolation you might experience.

Those who make the transition from workspace to the home office frequently find degrees of difficulty. However, by getting yourself in the right mindset, having organized space, facilitating familial adjustments and understanding, separating distractions, and keeping up socialization with associates can help the transition go far more smoothly.