When I first started working from home, a friend of mine – who had already spent a large part of his life working from home gave me some great advice.
I thought I would share those tips here.
Dress The Part
A big mistake home business owners make is not dressing for work. Sounds crazy, but it’s very important to get dressed in comfortable but suitable work clothes before rolling into the home office to work. This is a mental trick you play on yourself to help set the stage for a productive work day.
Strict Office Rules
In a regular office there are typically many rules from breaking times, to house keeping issues (food at desk etc.). Create some work rules and stick to them. Those rules are typically created to ensure a productive work flow, why should you ignore them.
Separate Spaces
While this is not always possible, it’s important that your at home working are be separate from your living area. Having a designated office or work are means that while you are “at work” you can focus on work issues, and while you are not you can enjoy your home. When the work/living areas overlap, people can find it difficult to “return home” are “go to work”.
Work hours Versus Personal Time
I find it easy to work from morning to night if I don’t put a limit on my work hours. Typically I work from 8 – 4 while the kids are in school. When they come home, I leave work! Before sticking to that schedule my personal time and working hours blended together making it easy for me to loose track of how I prioritize my time.
I hope these tips help to make your home business more successful. Don’t let working from home hurt your home life, and don’t let home life intrude on your work. Find the balance and enjoy it.
