Working at home can give a lot of adaptability. You have the choice of working based on your mood, and in the event that you have kids, you can plan your work around their exercises. Unfortunately, working at home can likewise be a test: how to compose your time, distractions, flow, etc…
In the event that you need to effectively work from home, you need to know how to prepare for work and to stay proficient, centered, and organized. Here are 7 tips that can help you be more efficient and successful from home.
1) Get dressed for work as if you are going to an office. By doing so, you will transform yourself into work mode and keep you motivated throughout the day. Working in slippers and pajamas will just spur you to go back to the bed or stay on the couch. Take a shower, get dressed, and prepare yourself by wearing makeup like you normally would in a professional environment.
And don’t forget to eat before starting to work. Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Eating a healthy breakfast gives you lot of energy and stamina. Yet, avoid eating at your desk because it will distract you and can slow you down.
2) Plan to work at your assigned workspace. You need to have a designated workspace in your home. In case you don’t, set aside a zone where you can be most productive. Avoid distractions, limit the items around you, and start your day. Having a work area that is specific to your business needs is crucial to your success. You don’t want to scramble for your critical papers, office supplies, or other materials from other areas in your home.
3) Work on something important when you wake up and wait to check your email until a scheduled time later in the morning. You put yourself in a reaction mode when you check your inbox (making everyone’s priorities your own), instead of an action mode (and your own daily agenda). If something is urgent, you will be found. Research shows how you start the day has an enormous effect on productivity, and you procrastinate more when you’re in a bad mood.
4) Multi-tasking is overrated! Focus on one task at a time. Multi-tasking is easier these days yet it is not always efficient. When working, focus your energy and time on one task until it is completed. It’s much easier to finish and deliver results on one project, than to start multiple projects and not finish any. The one task at a time method maximizes productivity and concentration and helps you to achieve your goals faster. Use a timer to help keep time.
5) Start each day fresh. One of my favorite practices is The Fast 15! I do this at the end of each workday; take 15 minutes to organize your desk and workload for the next day.
- Review your calendar & add important to-dos into your schedule.
- File items no longer needed for that day
- Take out items needed for the next day so you’ll hit the ground running.
- A clean slate for tomorrow
6) Manage your distractions more effectively. Distractions break your level of concentration, which greatly decreases your productivity during the day.
- Set aside one hour of undisturbed time each day to focus on important tasks.
- Group similar tasks together; for example, spend a block of time returning calls, running errands, or scheduling meetings.
- Keep the top of your desk cleared of any distractions such as unnecessary files, trinkets, books, bills, etc.
- Delegate to your support team.
7) Set professional and personal boundaries. To be successful, one needs to establish specific work start and stop times. It is easy to get sucked into working longer hours and bypassing any boundaries you may have set for yourself. Not respecting your boundaries makes you less effective. In addition, your health may be negatively affected by the additional stress from working longer hours.
Make sure boundaries are set and communicated to your family. Have a sign on your door signifying when you’re working or establish a time schedule and ask your family to respect it. Consistency is the key to success in the home office.
Improving productivity is all about strategies and processes. Once you adhere to some basic strategies and implement processes to certain phases of your work, your productivity will improve and your business can begin to work on its own.
Not all strategies and processes work for everyone. Experiment to see which strategies and processes work best for you. When you find something that works, stick to it.
And as always, please share your stories on my Facebook page. I would love to hear your secrets to success working from home.
Amy
