Working from home can be a dream – roll out of bed, switch on the laptop, grab a coffee, eat all the snacks, drink all the soda and roll back into bed at midnight…hmmm...maybe not so much. But working from home can be the dream you wished for if you have a few tricks to keep you on track and these are my top 6 to get you going:
Plan your week
Seems obvious, but planning your week, including any errands and appointments, in advance can help you see what your schedule is looking like that week and can help you plan in the chunks of time you can dedicate to your projects. Spend a Sunday evening planning out your goals and tasks for the week ahead – it helps if you have a beautiful planner and some luscious highlighters…just saying…
Start work early
Ugh. I am 100% not a morning person, let alone an early morning person but I know I just don’t have enough time in the day to get everything I want done so getting up early and getting an hour or two in before the day really starts makes me feel way more productive after a long day (though if you’re anything like me, invest in a good coffee machine….no you have a caffeine dependency).
Create a dedicated work space
Having a dedicated work space does wonders for your mental wellbeing when you work from home – at the end of the day, you can close the door and physically and mentally separate yourself from work-you and get back to you off-duty-you. Having your work space in your living room, or worse, your bedroom, encourages you to constantly have work at the front of your mind which when you are trying to sleep or relax with your family is not conducive to a good work-life balance. I would strongly suggest carving out a tiny space somewhere in your home, anywhere you can find a free bit of unused carpet space and set up shop there.
Set strict work hours, and stick to them
When you run your own business, you’re working hard to fulfil your dreams and the dreams of your family. I got so focused on invoices and emails that I felt guilt all the time – if I was working, I felt guilty about neglecting my peeps, if I was spending time with my family and friends, I felt guilty about not working. It got to a point where I was carrying around this massive boulder of guilt all the time. Something had to give, and so I decided to self-impose working hours. I get up early, work throughout the day and at 7pm, I shut everything down and that is my time to relax, unwind and enjoy being with the people I love most.
Take breaks
Sometimes I get so focussed on and enthused about a project that I haven’t realised I’ve spent all day at my desk and haven’t eaten anything. It’s important to make sure you take regular breaks, just like you would if you were at an office, not just for your health, but having short breaks have been known to increase productivity. Make sure you take a walk at lunch time, or grab a coffee (or your preferred poison) or walk around the block, breathe in that fresh(ish) air to re-engage the brain.
Don’t overwork yourself
The peaceful mind, peaceful life blog has a wonderful quote “Friendly reminder that doing your best does not mean working yourself to the point of a mental breakdown”.
Just because you work at home and run your own business, doesn’t mean you should have to work yourself to the point of exhaustion – that’s not helping you or your business. You are allowed breaks, you are allowed holidays, you are allowed weekends off – you are the boss, you need to look after you so you can look after your business. Don’t be a workaholic and let life pass you by while you are busy trying to build a new life – enjoy the one you have too.
I hope this post has been helpful and insightful and I wish you all a productive week!
Speak to you soon!
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