Since 2014 I have had a home-based business. I absolutely love working from home and setting my own schedule. It can be a bit tricky though creating boundaries and staying on task. The hardest days are the ones where I don't stick to my planner or I feel like I have to do ALL THE THINGS at once. I've compiled a few tips that have helped me along the way - hopefully these will help you too or spark some ideas on what will work for you as you work from home.
1. Create a Time Blocking Schedule - It's a simple tip with major impact! When you time block your day you have a much easier time sticking to your schedule. I love to work my business from 8:30am to 11:00am and again from 2:00-4:00pm. What happens in-between those times? I work on a cleaning project, prep a meal, meet a friend for lunch, run errands. This helps me to stay on task and feel very productive.
2. Create a Dedicated Work Space - This one is really important. Before I had an actual office on our home I was doing everything from our dining room table. Totally not ideal. The clutter that my job brought to the table made me super frazzled. I had paperwork, notebooks, my laptop and iPad scattered all over the table. Then if someone came over or we hosted a friends dinner all that stuff got swooped up and stashed in a closet. So not organized! We turned one of our guest bedrooms into my office and I loved creating this space as my own. All my work stays in my office now and doesn't clutter my dining room table. This also helps keep you focused and you aren't worried about your kitchen not being cleaned or sweeping the floors.
3. Practice the 10 or 20 Minute Rule - If you have kids maybe working 2 to 3 hours straight isn't ideal for you. I know on the days where I am rushed for time, practicing this rule is very helpful. Set your timer for 10, 15 or 20 minutes and focus on the task that you would like to accomplish. It's amazing how much you can accomplish in a short amount of time if you only focus on that one thing.
4. Practice Self Care - To be honest, not much gets accomplished if I am eating poorly and not getting enough sleep. Choosing healthy food options, exercising, having a morning routine, going to be on time - those all contribute to my self care and having a productive day. Is every day perfect? Not at all. Knowing what helps you have a smooth running day will be so beneficial to you though.
5. Put on Actual Clothes - This might just be a personal opinion, but I know when I dress for work I feel successful and empowered. No, I do not wear dress pants or a fancy dress to work. I do change out of my comfy clothes though. What we wear tends to give off certain vibes. When I wear comfy clothes or I don't change out of my pajamas I tend to be a little more sluggish. When I wear jeans and cute a top I feel more productive. Now I have totally rocked a cute pair of leggings with a sweater while working. Dress in a way that makes you feel productive and not in a way where you want to take a nap all day long.
2. Create a Dedicated Work Space - This one is really important. Before I had an actual office on our home I was doing everything from our dining room table. Totally not ideal. The clutter that my job brought to the table made me super frazzled. I had paperwork, notebooks, my laptop and iPad scattered all over the table. Then if someone came over or we hosted a friends dinner all that stuff got swooped up and stashed in a closet. So not organized! We turned one of our guest bedrooms into my office and I loved creating this space as my own. All my work stays in my office now and doesn't clutter my dining room table. This also helps keep you focused and you aren't worried about your kitchen not being cleaned or sweeping the floors.
3. Practice the 10 or 20 Minute Rule - If you have kids maybe working 2 to 3 hours straight isn't ideal for you. I know on the days where I am rushed for time, practicing this rule is very helpful. Set your timer for 10, 15 or 20 minutes and focus on the task that you would like to accomplish. It's amazing how much you can accomplish in a short amount of time if you only focus on that one thing.
4. Practice Self Care - To be honest, not much gets accomplished if I am eating poorly and not getting enough sleep. Choosing healthy food options, exercising, having a morning routine, going to be on time - those all contribute to my self care and having a productive day. Is every day perfect? Not at all. Knowing what helps you have a smooth running day will be so beneficial to you though.
5. Put on Actual Clothes - This might just be a personal opinion, but I know when I dress for work I feel successful and empowered. No, I do not wear dress pants or a fancy dress to work. I do change out of my comfy clothes though. What we wear tends to give off certain vibes. When I wear comfy clothes or I don't change out of my pajamas I tend to be a little more sluggish. When I wear jeans and cute a top I feel more productive. Now I have totally rocked a cute pair of leggings with a sweater while working. Dress in a way that makes you feel productive and not in a way where you want to take a nap all day long.
There are so many more tips on how to work from home successfully - you can find lots of ideas over on Pinterest or doing a quick Google search. These are just a few that have really helped me. And when in doubt, just drink more coffee! A book that I highly recommend to kickstart your morning and have a successful day was The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod.
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