Working at home is one of the best jobs in the world. You work at your own terms and you do not even have to go through the daily routine of getting out of your house. But the best thing is to be close with family members, eventually creating a bond that most employees miss when they are at work.

But working at home could also be your doom. There are people who are born to work at home while there are others who still need a year or two before they could learn the ropes. You have to learn how to properly work at home, or else instead of improving your work efficiency; you are just proving the point on why people do not have to work at home.

Here are some pointers on how you could improve your productivity while working at home.

1. Set a schedule and stick to it – It is a misconception that you can do anything that you want since you are at home. Working at home just means you are transferring your work at home with minor schedule changes. Set a schedule and stick to it. For example, you are not a morning person so you set your daily work schedule to start during the afternoon. Without a schedule you cannot get anything done in time.

2. Get the right equipment – Never compromise the gadgets necessary for work. You are only as good as your equipment when working at home. You may be the best employee there is but if you don’t have the right equipment to perform, your skills will just be for nothing. Based on experience, don’t just rely in one internet connection. You need to have a backup connection. There are internet service providers that offer internet connection per minute with a small base rate.

3. Get Out – Working at home does not mean you have to stay at home for the rest of the day. Avoid being too isolated to gather fresh ideas. You can set a schedule wherein you get your lunch or morning coffee in a different place other than your home. You can get the latest news about your surroundings while being visible to everyone. Working at home will give you the chance to be more independent but that doesn’t mean you have to be isolated.

4. Learn to say NO – This is probably the most difficult part of working at home. You can’t just say “yes” to everything just because you are working at home. Those who are working at home have a higher chance of ending up being a workaholic because they can just go back and forth to their work in a snap. Learn to set parameters on the number of hours you have to work. You will end up being too abusive to your body. In the end you will decrease in productivity because of the overwhelming work load.

Working at home has its ups and downs. Always be sure to control your schedule and stay disciplined to ensure success without ending up being a workaholic.