Working from home can be such a blessing. But the realist in me – says it can also be a TON of work! Remote work has so many incredible advantages, with greater flexibility and zero commute time. First of all, keeping up with everything you need to be working on for work and then add to that all your household tasks – Deep Breath!
Add in your kids, animals, spouse, etc. to the list and you will have a never-ending 24/7 to-do list.
Since 2006, I’ve been working online from the comfort of my own home. I worked in the Internet Marketing space and, to be honest, that was a quick-paced, 24/7 environment. Well, it may or may not have been, but given my overachiever status – I felt that it was 24/7. People want instant gratification, and by golly, I was gonna jump when needed! (haha)
I never wanted to have a customer wait for access if for whatever reason their’s didn’t show up. I didn’t want to miss a skype message and have someone waiting on me. Dependable – Oh Yes! Sanity? Probably lost it somewhere along the way. Just kidding, but in all seriousness, you have got to set BOUNDARIES!
The most important thing to create is a system that keeps you focused and productive!
Here are nine of my tried and true suggestions to make the most of each day while you are working from home.
Set Your “Working” Hours
What hours will you be able to be most efficient and get the most accomplished, uninterrupted? Set the intention that those are your working hours and then stick to them. Let your family know those are your work hours, so they won’t call or stop by. Also helpful, be sure to set your phone to silent and face down on your desk. Be sure to let others know the hours when you’re available for collaboration – and when you need to work without interruptions.
Schedule Your Day
If you are going to be working from 9-3 while the kids are at school – write a tentative schedule of what you expect to accomplish in those 6 hours. Hour by hour – this will be a great guide. You may have many distractions during your time at home, having this visual to keep you on track is a lifesaver. Always start your day with the FROGS as Brian Tracy would say – the things that you dread doing. Do them when you are fresh! If you start your day with the hard hard stuff, it only gets easier from there.
Write A List
I am talking about paper and pen! Ok, ok. I know some of you are not paper and pen types, but, I promise, there is something about seeing it all on paper, and scratching it off keeps you accountable. Once you reach the end of the day and you see your list all scratched off you will feel so good and so accomplished! Try it.
Designated Workspace
If you have a special area exclusively for you to work in it will help you keep your mind on the job. This can be anywhere in your home. A closet, the garage, the attic, a spare room, spare room, or one corner in your studio apartment. Doesn’t matter where you have it – make sure you have one. Don’t get me wrong, the laptop lifestyle right – trust me though, having this space gets you in the right mind to get focused. Also, it’s ok to shut your door and keep your head down.
Set Goals
Daily, weekly and monthly. Always push yourself and challenge yourself to be your best. The best way to do that is to set goals that may be just beyond your comfort zone, but attainable. Giving yourself specific targets to strive for is going to help you be your best. Know what you want to accomplish each day and over the long term.
Be Positive, Think Positive
Sometimes when you are working by yourself and it’s dead silent all day long you can kinda get in a weird mental state. No one is around to boost your morale – so you’ll need to boost your own! Think about the things you like about your job. Appreciate the opportunity to do meaningful work that stretches your skills and helps others. Also, music helps. Be sure to create a variety of playlists to mask background noise or stimulate creative thinking
Take Breaks
Set an alarm on your phone as a reminder to get up and stretch or run the treadmill for 3 minutes or walk around the block. Do whatever makes you feel a little rejuvination, just make sure you do something. You’ll accomplish more if you allow yourself generous helpings of downtime. Take time to pause and relax to avoid fatigue and boredom. Feeling tired, get up and do a few jumping jacks to get the blood pumping again!
Eat Healthy Foods
Oh, snap, you’ll have to trust me on this one – it’s really easy to stop into the kitchen and grab snacks when you get bored, stressed, happy, or any emotion really. Do not bring snack foods to your work area and eat them mindlessly while you work. Don’t do it. Make yourself a tray of healthy snacks and keep them close by. Carrot sticks, celery sticks, olives, pickles, etc. – All very good options – your waistline will thank you later!
Limit Social Media
The biggest time waster EVER created! Don’t get me wrong, I love social media and what it can do for small businesses online. The part I’m talking about being a time waster is seeing your friend on there and that crazy post he wrote to get attention and create chaos. Ignore it. Don’t participate. Don’t do it. It’s super easy to get bored at work and mindlessly scroll your thumb up and down. Keep the phone down.
If you are in a situation where you use social media for your work, that is no problem. Just put your blinders on – and keep them there!
Whew, that’s all I have for now! I sure hope these suggestions help you with your working from home journey!
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