The Kitchen Table

By

Bary Sherman

Most people working from home are doing so in a “make-shift” way.  Sometimes it’s at the kitchen table, sometimes at the dining room table, and sometimes from the coffee table in the den or living room.  

If people who routinely work at home try to work in these make-shift ways they are going to suffer from low productivity, high stress and physical injuries which can easily affect the long-term quality of life.  The good news is that there are some easy personal development guidelines to follow which will improve personal productivity and prevent physical injury.  They are:

1. Have an "office" where you work whether it is a partitioned area in a small apartment or a designated room in a larger house.
2. Have regular office hours – ask your friends and family to respect them as they would any business.
3. Get a good chair – not one of the mushy ones, but one manufactured by one of the serious office furniture venders.  You can find them used on Craig’s List or E-bay or at a used office furniture retailer.
4. Have good lighting — not in your face, nor too shaded.
5. Make sure your desk work surface is the right height (about 30”) so that you can sit upright.
6. Buy real file cabinets that support hanging folders, open all the way, and will not break from constant opening and closing.
7. Have  “parallel” filing systems for both your paper and electronic files.
8. Lean how to use Outlook or Notes as a productivity tool – not just for email.
9. Schedule your work and work your schedule.
10. It’s perfectly ok to go to the kids’ soccer game – just schedule it as part of your work plan.

Bary C. Sherman is CEO for PEP Productivity Solutions, Inc. a global consulting firm with offices in 25 countries.

Contact Information:

Bary Sherman
PEP Productivity Solutions, Inc.
760.731.1400
bary.sherman@PEPprouctivitysolutions.com
www.PEPproductivitysolutions.com
www.ePEPprogram.com