Managing Time: Working from Home or Telecommuting

So many people are working from home or telecommuting these days and it's probably hard to effectively manage your time. It can be much different from the 9-5 workday in an office where your time and work is more closely watched by your boss. It is very easy to get distracted by other tasks around the house that can take up time away from work projects.

Here are three easy ways to manage your time while working from home or telecommuting:

1. Rise & Shine: Wake up at the same time each morning to start your workday. This will keep you in a routine even though you may only be walking into your home office for work. Don't forget to brew a good pot of coffee to get you going.

2. Lunch & Breaks: Take an hour for lunch away from your laptop/computer. Plan to have lunch outside on the patio for some sunshine and fresh air. You can even workout, take the dog for a walk, or dash out on errands for an hour. Also, take 15 minute breaks to stretch and refresh throughout the day.

3. Phone calls: It may be hard for your family and friends to get used to the idea that even though you are working from home or telecommuting a few days of the week, you still need time in the day to work. Just like personal phone calls at work are generally a no-no, make the same policy while working from home and telecommuting. Politely inform your family and friends that you will not receive phone calls during certain times of the day unless it's an emergency.

I hope these are helpful for managing your time and keep you focused while working from home or telecommuting. OK, back to work!