Home Based Business Advice From The Pros
Those of you who know the joys of working from home whether youre selfemployed or freelancing or telecommuting know also the joys of procrastination and the lures of laying on the couch.
Now Im as much in favor of a good nap as the next guy but a nap should be a break not your default work mode.
On the other hand working from home tends to blur the boundaries between work and personal life if you work too hard you will have no personal life left.
So how do we stay productive and at the same time stay sane? As I recently quit my day job I asked the readers for their advice. They came through as always and Ive chosen a few of my favorites for others to use as a guide well Im going to use it as a guide too.
A few caveats before you dive into the list: Again these are from the readers so you guys deserve all the credit. Second I edited them so any typos are my fault. Third this is a compilation list meaning that some tips may seem contradictory thats because the best way to use this list is to find the ideas that work for you and give them a try. If they dont work come back to the list and find a few more ideas. Dont try to implement them all and certainly not all at once.
Thank you readers!
1. Define your spaces; separate work from home. Have a room dedicated to working. Dont do it wherever you happen to be. Set aside some space preferably a room it doesnt have to be big to be your workspace. That way when you enter it you know consciously what youre there to do: go to work. It changes the state of mind from Im at home to Im at work.
2. Set regular hours and stick to the schedule.
3. Dont stay unshaved in pajamas. Instead have breakfast have a shower get dressed. Then make a list of sensible tasks for the day and get started.
4. Close the door. Itll be very easy to leave the door to whatever room or space you set apart to be your workplace open. Dont do it. If the door is open that represents something to you and to your family. To you it represents the idea that if its a bit tough or you dont feel like working today you dont have to. To your family it represents the idea that Dad is around and I can go and talk to him.
5. Keep your desk and general work area tidy. A tidy workspace helps keep a tidy mind which helps make your day more productive.
6. Turn off the telephone when you need to work without distraction. Turn off IM and email notifications too. In fact if possible shut off the Internet.
7. Dont stop working if its a hard day. Therell be times when you havent got any ideas or just dont feel productive. Train yourself to do some work anyway. Its a short fall from Its just not happening at the moment to Its a bit tough Ill stop for the day. Next thing you know you never seem to get anything done.
8. Keep three lists of three. The first list has three things you will do today. The second is three things youd like to get done but arent essential. The third is three things that need to be done at some point. That way when youve trogged through your days work you dont end up sitting twiddling your thumbs.
9. Start the day properly. Have a good breakfast spend some time alone to just sit and do whatever. Relax let your mind wander. Pray. Just make sure that your mind isnt in the I hate working frame of mind.
10. Have a good chair. Mesh backed ones or good comfy leather perhaps. Its worth spending some money on.
11. Keep a notepad and pencil nearby. Jot down ideas for blog posts projects anything that springs to mind. Then have a pinboard to stick them on. Look at it twice a week to refresh your mind of things that could be done sometime. Some of the best work youll ever do will come from random bits of inspiration.
12. Give yourself breaks. Dont be locked in the room all the time. For every hour you work have a 1530 minute break. Give your mind time to digest what its just done then come back. Youll improve the quality of what you produce a hundredfold.
13. Dont go back to work when youve finished. Had a great idea for a post? Fantastic write down the basics on a note and pin it up. Dont go back to work when youve finished.
14. Schedule if possible around your natural schedule. Some people peak in the morning others in the afternoon still others at the witching hour.
15. Have a pint of water by your desk all the time. Try and work up to drinking a few pints a day if you dont already.
16. Be careful what music you listen to while you work. Music TV the weather Just about everything will influence your mood. Some you cant change some you can. Make sure that you surround yourself with things that will give you the best frame of mind for whatever youre about to do.
17. No turning on the computer for a quick email check or to do 1 little thing until youve gotten ready for work as mentioned above. The nuance is if you have nowhere to be that 1 little thing leads to showering at 2 in the afternoon with a splitting headache because youve forgotten to eat etc.
18. Know when to stop. Dont work late into the night. Set defined times when youre going to work and then when it passes stop. You can have a bit of leeway here but make sure that you dont end up letting work run your life.
Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop. Ovid
19. Dont work an eight hour day. One reader works about 5 hours in four blocks of an hour with a 20 minute gap between each. If you do more than that your attention might start to wander youll be restless and your work wont have its normal level of quality.
20. Designate certain days for certain work. For example: file everything on Friday afternoon no later than Saturday morning. This allows you to walk out of your office for your weekend without feeling like you left work unfinished.
21. Set boundaries for those around you as well. Schedule your work time and make sure the kids and spouse know that you are unavailable for playing chores etc. during this time.
22. Sound Canceling Headphones. Seriously useful if you have a 3yearold.
23. Pay attention and crunch numbers with your accounts regularly. You are less inclined to watch television when you realise how much it can cost you to mess around. Put a reminder that work NOT done = no money.
24. Have a good lunch. One readers suggested that something with good carb content works best. Puts you in the mood for the second half of the day.
25. Track your time. One reader suggested a simple program called gtimelog http://mg.pov.lt/gtimelog/. You enter what youve done when youve completed it. Its very simple and stays out of your way. At the end of the day week you can see a summary. It also allows you to break out work time vs. fun time in a simple manner.
26. Set online times. You dont always need to be accessible for chit chat. This may be more applicable to telecommuters than the selfemployed.
27. Dont allow work to consume your life. Easier said than done when working from home. Make sure you set limits for the amount of time you will work.
28. Make time for people. When people ask give them what you can. Respond in some way to every email. It doesnt matter how long it takes you to get around to it. You dont have to reply that day. Just make sure you do. It matters.
29. Say thank you a lot. Figure out who the people who have helped you and your blog or your business the most. If youre a blogger thats the readers not the people who gave you mentions on their big blogs. The people who have given their time and energy to helping you get where you are. You owe your life from this point on to them. Make sure they know youre greatful.
30. Be grateful youre working from home and not in some cubicle! That gratitude will motivate you to work harder so you can continue to work from home.
About the writer: The key is to acquire universal learning in order to develop one’s potential covering both the arts and the sciences and without necessarily restricting this learning to the academic fields. We should not be restricted to one subject area.
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