Working From Home : 5 Ways To Be Successful At It

working from home can be both a blessing and a struggle.  it’s a blessing because, well, there is zero commute and you can do it in your slippers.  the struggle is, some people find it difficult to separate work life from home life since it all occurs within the same square footage.  having run a successful photography business from home for years, i have developed 5 great habits that have helped me to separate my work life from my home life in order to run a successful business.  i have learned what to do and what not to do, in order to have a productive day and grow my business while working from home.

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Working From Home: 5 Ways to Be Successful at It

1. have office hours.

first things first, create your office hours and stick to them.  having office hours creates a schedule, and having a schedule is a very successful habit.  once you have your office hours created, make sure you are only working on your business during that time.  that means unloading the dishwasher, folding laundry, and running errands will have to wait.  when you are at work, you are at work.  and on the flip side, when you are at home, you need to be at home.  make a habit of not responding to emails or working after your assigned office hours.  why?  well, responding to client emails at 10:00pm at night only sends the client the message that you are willing to work at any time of day and they in turn don’t need to respect your time.  also, having office hours is simply fair to your family.  once 5:00pm hits, walk away from your computer and be with your family.  it will help them to respect your office time versus your family time, and it also shows them that they matter to you.

take it one step further and ditch the slippers!  even though your office doesn’t have you leaving the house, dress up.  dressing up makes you feel more confident, and in turn, you will be more productive.

2. have a dedicated workspace.

just because you can work from the couch, doesn’t mean you should.  have a space in your home that is just for you and your work.  having a dedicated work space will help you separate your work life from your home life because it gives you someplace to go.  having a space for you to work will also help you stay organized, which is a great habit of successful business owners.  when you think of a dedicated workspace, it doesn’t have to be super fancy…it just has to be yours.  have a space that you can leave your work at the end of the day, instead of using the kitchen table where you have to set up and take down your workspace on a daily basis.  a dedicated workspace is also healthy because it is a space that you can walk away from at the end of the day.  where you can leave work at work and transition to your home life.

3. say no to social media.

just don’t do it.  think about it this way…if a boss at a traditional job would frown upon it, don’t do it as you are working from home.  remember, you are your own boss…so you should frown on using social media during work hours unless it is being used to promote your business.  if you are posting about your business and using social media as a marketing platform, then go for it!  if you are scrolling through your newsfeed to see what your friends are up to, save it for after work.  social media is a time sucker.  just one minute of social media surfing always leads to more.  don’t believe me?  take the challenge and don’t use social media for one whole day and see how productive you are.  i promise you, you will be more productive.

4. take a lunch break.

not only is it important to take a lunch break, but it’s important to step away from your workspace to do it.  during your lunch break, enjoy a break from work.  use this time to enjoy a nice lunch, use social media, or watch a tv show.  whatever it is that you want to do for an hour while you eat lunch, it’s your time!  taking a break is very important because it allows you to step away from work and recharge.  and when we get a little break, we are more productive once we return.  working from home should resemble working at a traditional office, so take that lunch hour and you will be better for it.

5. have a task list.

have a task list and have one every day.  when you start your work day, you should know exactly what you want to accomplish in hours ahead.  write it down!  write down your tasks, because then you can cross them off.  and there is something about crossing off your accomplished tasks that is very motivating.  a good habit i created is writing my task list the day before, so that it is all done and ready to be accomplished the moment i start my work day.  what if you don’t finish all of your daily tasks that you wrote down?  it happens!  just write them on the task list for the following day, along with the next tasks you want to complete so you are ready to get going tomorrow.

working from home does not have to be a struggle.  by incorporating these 5 habits, you will find that working from home can be both be successful and productive.  keep in mind that being strict with yourself will only mean great things for your business.  and being productive during your office hours will leave you with even more time to think of ways to grow your business and be inspired.

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