I always imagine that door handles, shopping carts, and light switches would be among the dirtiest things we touch with our hands. However, if you think about it maybe – just maybe – your computer keypad is fairly contaminated.  Here’s a quick tip on cleaning your keyboard,

… a little compressed air will go a long way towards getting the dust out of the cracks, crevices, and exhaust vents. If you have a Mac Pro, you can crack the case open and attack the inside with the same cloth and compressed air.

If your case or keyboard are seriously gunky, we highly recommend attacking the filth with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, but keep in mind that they—and other melamine sponges—are slightly abrasive, so you may be rubbing away grease and dirt, but if you keep scrubbing you can wear away the top layer of the finish as well.

While you’re at it, consider cleaning your desk phone. Those get nasty really quickly, especially if you wear makeup!

While the flexibility of working at home is wonderful, you should also be extremely disciplined to make it work.  Women & Co. takes a look at five huge mistakes women can make working at home, including:

Procrastinating with housework.
Yes, you can empty the dishwasher on your lunch break, or throw the laundry in the dryer between calls, but be careful not to let distractions creep into time you planned to work. Definitely don’t let people hear the familiar sound of clattering dishes on a call—it’s distracting and unprofessional.

Truly in my home, doing too much housework is not an issue! 🙂  (And please note that is not my house!)

When you work at home, you might get to talk with people on the phone. You might get to sit in your pajamas*.  You might get to save gas money from driving to and from an office.  But you also might be missing face to face social interaction. If you are someone who enjoys talking with people, even if it’s just idle conversation like what happened on your favorite television show or who did better in a political debate.

Some people may just not be cut out for working from home. From Prairie Eco-Thrifter,

One of the biggest issues that many have with working from home is the social interaction. My husband likes social interaction, and he likes to feel as though he is helping people (this is why he is a university professor). He likes to go in, get to know the students, and help them with their assignments. Working from home doesn’t offer that same level of human interaction.

Before you decide to work from home, consider your social preferences, and imagine the isolation. Be realistic about your need for human contact, and take that into account as you make your decisions.

I like hanging out with people, personally, but alone time is also really good sometimes!

*Do not work in your pajamas if you work from home! You will be less motivated and – what if – someone comes over?!