When you work from home, one of the problems you’re likely to face is motivation. After all; you don’t have managers or co-workers around you all the time. In fact, the only person you might have in your house for company is your dog.
I remember the first time I made the move to self-employment and started working from my study at home. I used to wake up late each morning and slowly go through the day’s tasks. As you can imagine, I struggled to get all my work done on time and of course, any distraction including blowing bubbles gave way.
These days, a self-enforced approach to work has improved my productivity and efficiency. The secret is simple: I made sure my work routines were different to my days off. And, here is how I made the magic happen:
I set up a strict work routine. It doesn’t matter if you work from the comfort of your bed or a dedicated room in your home. What does matter is how you organize your time schedules.
As I talked about earlier, there’s a temptation just to work when you feel like it. Of course, if you take such a lax approach to work, you will seldom get anything done. That’s why it is crucial you set up a strict work routine as I have done.
For instance, here’s how my working days at home usually work:
- 7:30 am: wake up, have a shower, eat breakfast;
- 8:30 am: get into the “office,” catch up on emails and prioritize the day’s work;
- 9:00 am: start working;
- 1:00 pm: take a 30-minute lunch break; and
- 5:00 pm: finish work for the day.
I meet clients elsewhere. Sometimes there is a need to meet clients in person to discuss projects. In those situations, I prefer to meet them elsewhere. I hire meeting rooms from Regus in exclusive city locations. Not only does that impress my clients, but it also gives me a degree of privacy at home.
I know that some home-based workers don’t mind meeting customers at home but, I think it’s important to draw a visible boundary between your work life and home life. After all; if things turn sour, you don’t want angry customers harassing you at your house.
I got my heating system fixed. As strange as it may sound, if your home is as cold as your freezer during winter, you are unlikely to feel motivated to do any work. All you will want to do is try to warm up and watch some TV while drinking some hot chocolate.
My home’s heating hasn’t worked properly for a while. So, I bit the bullet and although it’s summer right now, I had a heater repair company come out and replace the faulty parts. It cost me a lot of money, but the benefit is I don’t have to freeze my butt off when winter comes.
I reward myself. Last, but not least, one way I find helps me to stay motivated is if I reward myself for completing projects. For instance, I might give myself a week off to relax and unwind. Or, I could treat myself to some new clothes or a dinner date with my significant other.
Do you work from home? If so, I’m interested to find out what you do to keep yourself motivated. Let us know on our social media channels!
Photo by Kate Zaidova
Mia Guerra
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