Starting a new business at home or keeping your home business afloat in the current financial climate can be a real challenge. Not mentioning the distractions and the temptations to procrastinate rather than do those important and urgent jobs in your business.
Here are just a few suggestions to keep you focused and motivated:
1. Ensure you prepare a to do list to keep you focused on those urgent and important jobs – day, week, month and year.
2. Agree ground rules with your family, partners, etc at home so they appreciate the importance of you not being disturb every five minutes.
3. Ensure you take breaks for lunch, coffee, etc ideally with someone else to allow you time to get away from the PC and to discuss some of the challenges and successes. Sometimes another point of view will give you a fresh outlook on your problem(s) you are facing.
4. Be flexible with your hours to enable you to work more effectively in the business whilst balancing quality time with your friends and family – one of the reasons for working at home could have been to get quality time with your family and friends. What are you doing to ensure you have a great work / life balance?
5. Get out more – ensure you attend business events and training courses where you will meet other people in business and to help you to build your network of contacts and skills in business.
6. Maximise the use of the internet and social media to promote you and the business.
7. Consider what you can do during the day that you didn’t have time to do previously e.g. keeping fit, enjoying a hobby and allowing yourself more time with your family and friends.
8. Get a life – don’t spend your whole life in the business. Ensure you plan time for your family and don’t work crazy hours week in and week out. Always consider the impact on your family, your health, etc.
9. Outsource support like phones and admin to Virtually PA’s. Keep working strategically rather than spending too much time working in the business.
10. Most of all enjoy working from Home and recognise what actions you need to take to maintain the status quo or advance the business to the next level.
Working from home can be one of the best decisions you will ever make however you need to ensure you keep focused and motivated to maintain a great work / life balance.
