A lot of people feel working from home is the ultimate dream…flexible schedule, more money, more potential, more comfort, and more freedom all around.
While this can certainly be true, it can be challenging in many ways as well.
Even the most motivated individuals have to work at being disciplined, productive, and steadfast in reaching their goals.
Luckily, being successful at working from home can be mastered with a bit of time, dedication, and a solid strategy in place.
Having owned 2 home based businesses and managed another, I have had to be creative in coming up with a way to accomplish my daily tasks efficiently.
With every endeavor, there has been basic rules of thumb I have followed.
With a little practice, you too can successfully work from home, as an entrepreneur or a remote employee of another company.
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Routine Is The Foundation For Productivity
The first step to being efficient with a work from home scenario, is to establish a routine as you would if you were working outside of your home.
This includes setting clear work hours for yourself, as well as making sure your loved ones understand those are hours you are unavailable for personal attention.
If you don’t establish boundaries early on, it will be more difficult to establish them later.
Create A Dedicated Work Space
Creating a dedicated work space is another important part of establishing your routine. Sure, working from your couch might be comfy, but it will inevitably bring down your energy and focus.
Having a corner of your home (even if it is small) specifically reserved for work, gives the feeling of structure. The more structure you have, the more mentally tuned in and productive you will be, while working.
Dress For Success
Believe it or not, the way you dress while working from home, also plays a large part in keeping you motivated and productive. While those yoga pants might be comfortable, they don’t exactly give the vibe of work success.
Dress as if you are accomplishing big goals, and you will naturally achieve those goals. You just feel better mentally.
Give Yourself A Breather Here And There
Taking small breaks here and there, go a long way toward keeping your energy levels high and avoiding burn out. Even if you get up to stretch your legs for a few minutes and grab a cup of coffee, the physical and mental breather is super helpful.
Set Clear Goals & Prioritize Tasks
Without setting clear goals, it’s easy for our minds to wander in a million directions. We get lost, unfocused, and before you know it, you have a pile of work growing by the minute.
I typically have daily goals, weekly goals, along with monthly goals, to keep me organized and heading in the direction I set out to.
I keep a daily schedule that is broken down into 30 minute blocks. At the beginning of the week, I plug in all of tasks on my to-do list, arranged by matter of priority.
In addition to that, I have smaller lists for different areas of work, such as administrative, creative, errands, etc.
While I use spreadsheets for my task lists, there are plenty of really good software apps and programs you can use that will speed up some of the organizational aspects of working from home.
Some of the more popular organizational tools available are ClickUp, Todoist, Any.do, Google Calendar, and Clockify.
For more specific tips and hacks for time management, check out my other post,
“25 Time Management Tips For Being More Productive In Your Daily Life”
For a comfortable work from home experience
Eliminate Distractions
I am all too familiar with managing distractions in my home during work hours. It is definitely not easy sometimes.
You can set boundaries with your family, and for all of their good intentions, there is always an opportunity for something to interfere with your focus.
It takes a little time for it to sink in that you are unavailable during certain hours, but it does get easier.
Politely reminding your family that you will be working during those hours, goes a long way to establishing firm boundaries.
When you have a zoom meeting coming up, refresh their memories on that as well!
Turning off unnecessary phone notifications, tv, ringer, etc., are all good ways of ridding yourself of distraction.
If the dog tends to bark at the mailman, perhaps let your pup relax in another room during that delivery time frame, so he/she doesn’t see the mailman.
If you have trouble staying focusing, maybe even use a timer based strategy to keep your mind on one task at a time.
The point is to be creative and try to clear as many distractions as possible, from your work environment.
Motivation Struggles
We’ve all had them…those days when you’re just not feeling it. It doesn’t matter how hard you try… you can’t get with it, stay focused, or force yourself to complete that first task to get the ball rolling.
This can be especially true if you are a solopreneur or work independently in your job role for another company.
While we may enjoy our work at home situation, there is something to be said for having co-workers nearby.
Staying connected to colleagues or peers for even small amounts of time, can do a lot for morale.
If that isn’t easy to implement, finding inspiration through motivational quotes or success stories is always a great alternative.
And hey…when you find a way to break through that motivation hurdle and complete your tasks, why not reward yourself with a yummy treat like a latte or something else, as a pat on the back?
It’s the little things that keep you going, after all.
Work-Life Balance
Just as it’s important to set boundaries and stay focused when it comes to work, it’s also important to set boundaries that prevent work from interfering with personal time.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. True Story.
Aside from scheduling small breaks throughout the day, putting the day’s work aside when you have committed to being done, will allow you that much needed mental break to avoid burn out.
So, try to stick to your scheduled hours as much as possible, and don’t forget to liberally spread a bit of self care activity throughout your work week.
What good is it to work from home, if you don’t have a fair amount of that breathing room we anticipate will come with our flexible work life?
Be Adaptable
Life can indeed be unpredictable, and sometimes, things don’t go exactly as planned. While it can be annoying, it doesn’t have to completely throw you off course.
If you’re willing to be flexible, adjusting your schedule to accommodate those unexpected events, is actually one of the perks of working from home, right?
I’ve had plenty of times when I’ve had to change my schedule around with little notice, and I just prioritize my work accordingly to make sure the important stuff is still being taken care of in a timely manner.
If other smaller things have to wait a little longer than I expected, I’m not going to beat myself up over it.
Self compassion is a priority when working from home, for sure.
For Easier Organization
Final Thoughts
So, is it possible to work from home, and remain focused, productive, and still have the freedoms you expect from such a job environment?
If you implement the above basic rules of work life balance, you can find a rhythm that allows you that freedom without sacrificing quality of work.
What about you? Do you have any tricks or hacks that keep you work oriented in spite of all the potential setbacks?
Any playlists or other things to inspire you and keep you motivated on the blah sort of days?
Let me know in the comments below!
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