Working from home is not as easy as people think. Before I started Dunedin Property Management I used to work in the tech space and worked from home for many years. These are my tips for working from home.

1. Make sure your employer is fully committed and supportive of working from home.

The biggest failing I've seen is the mismatch between the expectations of the employer and the employee. Many companies that start as an office based company and try move to a work from home culture think that they can simply transplant their office culture into a work from home environment. That's not the case. There are many different ways to work from home. Often the best thing to do is to move away from time-based work to outcome based work. Have a list of things that need to be achieved and get them done anyway you like.

2. Make online communication the primary method

For teams to work effectively there can't be back channel conversations going on. It needs to be transparent and recorded for everyone to see. I'm not saying zoom meetings, face-to-face, or phone calls shouldn't happen. They definitely should. But any important decisions from those meetings must be recorded online so the relevant people are aware of these changes.

3. Do what works best for you, and don't feel guilty

I like to get up and start work early. Often times I'll start work between 4 and 5 am. I have then also learnt that once I eat lunch I will be useless in the afternoon. As such I'll usually have a late lunch and finish early. This means I can go for a surf or do stuff with my kids in the afternoon.

4. Don't work too much

The biggest misconception about people who work from home is that they don't do much work and watch Netflix all day. In my experience, people end up working much harder and longer than if they were coming into an office. For a long time I worked 7 days because I couldn't handle emails not being responded to within a couple of hours. This meant I never really had a day off. A tip within this tip is to disconnect your phone from work emails, slack, and/or work social media.

5. Exercise

If you work from home it's easy to get into a very unhealthy routine. Wake up and walk to the office in the dressing gown and start work. Have a coffee (or energy drink) arrive and consumed. Eat a donut and another coffee before 10am. Slowly graze all day from the fridge that is only a 2 second walk away. Then eat dinner and wind down with a beer and 3 episodes of Bachelor in Paradise. This is a recipe for obesity.

6. Family and friends

On their death bed no one wishes they had worked more or harder during their lifetime. Remember why you work so hard and make time for your family and friends. Celebrate parties and anniversaries and have fun.

In the end, working from home is not for everyone. You have to make a decision that works before you.