Sanity Tips For Working From Home

I came across an article from the News Straits Times on working from home tips. I've extracted and posted it below:

1) Get Out
Getting out of the house once a day is a great way to energize yourself and prevent boredom.
Comment: It is easy to be be stuck at your desk when it's a busy period. I'm glad that I have Kess. Going for walks with her gets me out of the house twice a day for exercise.

2) Workspace
Keep your work place separate from the rest of the house. By keeping the area you work out of sight, it is easier to relax when you're not working. It also prevents family members from picking things up or moving projects you could be working on.
Comment: This tip was the reason why I decided to designate a separate room as my home office as opposed to working in the living or dining room. Besides, it also helps put me in a working frame of mind without the distraction of the TV.

3) Take Short Breaks
By taking a few minutes off to load laundry, read the papers or do the dishes, you will be able to relax and come back refreshed.
Comment: Taking short breaks applies whether you work in an office or at home. Our brains and body needs a short break to recharge. Of course, the infamous long tea breaks typically associated with certain organisations does not fall into this category.

4) Hours
Decide on number of acceptable hours to work each day and stick with it.
Comment: I agree that one should be disciplined, especially when working from home. However, the beauty of working from home is having the flexibility. So, if something else pops up, I would just make up for it another time - as long as I can meet my deadline. One just need to be sensible with time management.