When looking for online jobs from home for free, in order to have success with this type of work, you need to do more than have a great computer and a good internet connection at home. The way that you manage your schedule, your method of working and also your approach will be critical to ensure that your efficiency and output it of a high standard. To ensure that you perform well in your online work, here are six important guidelines to help you:1. Mark out your definitive work spaceYou can use any spare space available in your bedroom, living room or preferably a spare room or study also works very well. It is important that this work space is dedicated to your online work and is free of clutter, litter, toys and other distractions. You need to consider this place an office, even though it may be based at home, a clean, neat and organised work area sets the right environment for productive work. There must be enough light and it should not be cramped. There should be sufficient space for all your work needed items. Another very important step is to set some rules with your family members about this work space and ensure that you are not disturbed during your working time and that this area is treated as a work place by them as well.2. Plan and manage your working hoursSome online jobs from home allow you to set your own work time, while others will require you to work at specific hours that they allocate. It is important for you to allocate specific hours each week that you will be working from home, and treat these hours as work time. Be disciplined about the time that you work and choose a time of the day that you are most productive and when there are the least distractions around. It helps to consider yourself as the boss, and just like in the offline work world, you should not just take time off when you feel like it for no good reason. You need to keep a professional approach with this type of work and setup a routine that will help you manage your working time better.3. Set goals and track themSetting of daily, weekly and even monthly goals will help you identify priorities, track your progress and manage your time effectively. List your goals on a spread sheet or a journal and record the time spent on each one each day and track their progress through to completion. Failure to setup goals and track your progress to complete them could result in aimless work and a lot of time wasting and generally means that you will achieve far less in the end compared to if you did manage goals.4. Avoiding online distractionsAs we all know, the internet is full of many, many distractions like social networking websites, games, chats, videos and downloads to mention just a few. These distractions have the potential to consume a lot of your time and they also could make your computer slower. Think about this: if it takes you about 40 minutes to type roughly 1000 words, then watching that 40 minute video is a loss of about 1000 words worth of time. And this loss of time is directly related to a loss of money! Now I am not saying that you need to give up all your fun internet activities, it is just that there is a time for work and a time for play. When you are in work time, make sure that all your fun applications or sites are turned off or closed so that they cannot distract you.5. Allocate breaks and take themJust like with anything, too much of one thing can be bad. The fact that you are working at home is the very reason why it is easy to overwork yourself. It is sometimes easier to do more work than relaxing, and to not take breaks when you should to clear your mind. You don’t want to get burnt out because most online jobs from home require you to have a steady and regular working pattern to be continually lucrative. Plan your day just like you would if you were working for an offline company. Take tea breaks in the morning and afternoon, allocate time for lunch and take days off just like you would in a normal job. Balance is important to sustainable work.6. Keep in touch with the outside worldNow that you are a virtual worker, all you really need is yourself, a computer and the internet. You should socialise with others on a regular basis and connect with people often to ensure that you keep a healthy work-life balance. You could set a weekly movie night with friends or arrange other regular human interactions for yourself. Try not to get copped up in your house for an entire week if possible. Try to find at least 1 to 2 days a week where you are with other people. Taking your notebook to the library or park for a day can be refreshing, and also allow you to still work on your online job.The points above are general guidelines that can help you succeed with your online jobs from home for free, but they still need you to have devotion, determination and persistence. You need to be serious about your job and it will reward you in the long term.