5 Tips to Stay Focused and Productive Working from Home.

When starting out working from home we all tend to lack the knowledge of when a work day begins and when it ends. Embarking on your home based Business doesn’t mean you can do A few hours here and there. To be successful you need to set some rules and boundaries. Treat this as you would any Job. To help you stay focused and productive I find these 5 tips work for me. These are just 5 tips to start off with. Then as you go along you can set out your own boundaries.

When we work from home we tend to slack on many things. Think about when you used to be more productive in the morning afternoon for example. Slobbing around in our P.J’s all day pretending to do work is certainly a No No. When do you have more free time to yourself to get to work on your online stay at home business.. I find when I work from home my family don’t see it as working from home and disturb me all the time. That puts me off work and  Yes can put me in a bad frame of mind.

Have a Schedule and stick to it. 

 

I tend to find I keep to an early schedule. That is when my home is at it’s quietest. I have no interruptions and I certainly get twice my work done. I find when I work from home my family don’t see it as working from home and disturb me all the time. That puts me off work and can yes put me in a bad frame of mind. Trying to stick to my schedule isn’t easy I can always see other things I need to get on with. House work etc.

So what I would do is use the time from the commuting I would have done. Which normally would be 2 and half hours just for the commute. Remember though this is your schedule. So you stick to a plan that would suit you most. Draw up a time table and stick to it if you can. Get out of those P.J’s. Most stay at home business will require some sort of skype chat or a meet. You dont want to look un professional not even on Skype or messenger.

Setting Your Boundaries. 

Just because you work from home most families and friend’s don’t see it as that!!!… So make sure you set your Boundaries. It’s no good you working from home and your neighbour wants you to watch her toddler while she nips to the shops. Working from home means just that. You are working. People need to see that you are working from home. I would if I was you be prepared to put more hours in because if you are like me the time fly’s by and I still want to carry on working especially if we love what we do.

Do not bite off more than you can chew. Life is supposed to be easier not harder. Backing yourself into a corner because you can’t say no just gives you the wrong mind-set for the rest of the day. Remember to Say NO. It does feel good saying NO sometimes. Remember you are your Own Boss Act like one.

 

Have a dedicated work Space.

Make sure your workspace is rid of all distractions. Your paper work etc is all nice and neat. keep everything filed and ready for you when you need that file again. When you first start out you will be a multitasker of many chores. That will be until you can afford extra help. So keep a place for everything and everything in its place. That way it will keep your mind free and distraction free. Plan out your next day the day before. Make each one a plan of action with dedicated time to each one. Otherwise you will find it hard to keep up.

Do not what ever you do waste time on social media where you don’t need too. Having notification’s from friends can be quite a distraction and befor you know it you have spent two hours chatting about kids, or unblocking a sink. Whatever you chat about takes up your time. ignore it and you can guarantee your friends will be waiting for your input and reply’s. That’s in your own time then not there’s.

 

Have a Daily plan with Deadlines.

 

Like I said up above you need a plan of action. Get the most important tasks done first thing. Get the plan of action at the end of your working day sorted for the next day. keep lists of the most important to the least important. Try and keep everything to a deadline. If you dont you will find your whole day is messed up and that way you may loose important clients or customers. Set up a very good filing system. Work on it till you have it down to a fine art.

There are so many apps nowadays to use online and offline to help you keep files. I also like to keep files on paper too. That way I will always have a back up to get on with if my internet fails or something else crops up. Keep your passwords all secure and accessible just incase you forget any of them. Nothing worse when you forget a password. Keep them all secure too.

 

Just remember to take breaks and Socialize. 

Remember to take your breaks. You still need your lunch hour and coffee breaks. If you like to exercise then so keep doing it. Take your time out for you too. It will revitalise you. We all need breaks lunch and coffee breaks. Even working from home we need those breaks. So make sure you account for them in your schedule. Do remember your weekends are still the same if you had drinks on Saturday night with your friends then stick to that too.

Working from home can now be longer hours but if you plan your days out properly and stick to your plan you will run more efficiently. Remember to switch off from your Business. All the worrying in the world will not help, that will just make it worse for you. Take your time and invest in a helper too if you have too. It’s your business run it like one but dont be overwhelmed by it. Get help if you need it.

Heres to all of you starting your new business adventure you will have fabulous success just remember to have a plan. Make a schedule and Get a fuss free work space.

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