I have worked from home for the past 12 years and I’ll be the first to admit that it hasn’t always been easy. After having the disciplined comfort or regime of corporate life, I had to learn a series of new disciplines when I decided to work for myself. So here are a few tips that might help you to be more productive and resourceful.
- Start the day with a walk, gym session or a swim. Not only are you out of bed earlier but your body and mind will thank you for it. And have a determined starting time … everyday.
- Have a dedicated workspace. It could be an office or an open plan but it must have the appearance of “this is where I work”.
- If you see clients from a home office, have the office separate from the home.
- Plan your work hours as if you were working in a dedicated workspace. Diarise family time.
- Break your day into blocks of time so that tasks are allocated to particular hours. No … this is not the time to get the vacuum cleaner out. You are at work!
- Get out for a walk at lunchtime. Treat lunch breaks as if you were working in an office. 30 minutes or up to an hour … it is your choice but stick to it.
- Communicate to friends and family that you are at work. It is easy for people to interrupt your day. You have to set the boundaries.
- Remind yourself that you are paying you for your time.
- Network with others if possible. It can be a lonely gig working from home. It is enlightening to hear the solutions that other ‘work from home’ people have employed.
- It is OK to scream at your imaginary boss “you idiot” when something hasn’t gone to plan. As long as it doesn’t become a habit and passers by don’t hear you constantly berate yourself.
Working from home could be the most rewarding work experience that you have ever taken on. Plan it … and enjoy it. If you want to talk about how to make your work at home experience more resourceful, or to allow hypnotherapy to cement in the new determination and discipline, then contact me now.