For many modern entrepreneurs, creatives, and freelancers, working from home is a dream come true. But the reality of it can be much different. How do you stay on task, handle isolation, and keep yourself from eating a full sleeve of cookies from the kitchen? Read on to find out.
Set goals but not too many:
For those who work from home, goal setting and prioritizing are critical skills that must be learned, honed, and practiced. Start your day by deciding what's most important. Pick 1-3 things that you absolutely must accomplish, and do them early in the day. If you get more than that done, great. But if you only get those things done, consider it a successful day.
Create a workspace:
If you can't technically "go to work" then do the next best thing: designate one or two places as official work spaces, and set them up for maximum focus and productivity. Having a certain place to work at home will help cue your brain to shift into work mode; and it will also help you to shift out of it when you're done. If you need some human interaction or outside stimulus, a coffee shop or local library can act as a second "office."
Have a schedule:
Being highly productive is all about focusing on one thing at a time. It doesn't matter if you work for 15 minutes or two hours: what matters is that you block out time each day to focus on what's most important. Set specific times to check email, write proposals, make phone calls, study, or do whatever task is going to make the most impact on your day and career. Don't forget to schedule in breaks, down time, lunch, and start and stop times for your day. If you deviate from your schedule or if it takes a while to get into the habit, don't be too hard on yourself: the most important thing is to keep working to give yourself the opportunity to truly engage with your work.
Use task bundling:
It's easy to fritter away time answering emails, doing paperwork, running errands, reading online, or checking social media. But it doesn't make sense to eliminate these tasks entirely. Make them more enjoyable and efficient by using task bundling: group like tasks together and schedule time to take care of them in one fell swoop.
Minimize distractions:
How you handle distractions can make all the difference between a day that feels productive and a day that feels wasted. When you decide to hone in on a task, turn off your phone and put it in another room (really!); don't have other tabs open when you are working online, and avoid music with lyrics, especially if you are writing or working on a mentally challenging task. If you tend to be tempted by food, video games, or other bad habits or distractions, remove them from your home if at all possible.
Learn how to shut down:
"Don't bring your work home with you" is great advice for people who don't work at home. For those who do, having a shutdown routine can go a long way in helping you to fully detach from work and engage with the rest of your life. Review your email and anything that might nag at you when you're off the clock. Take care of what you can, and make a plan to deal with everything else in the morning. Close and shut down your computer completely, clean your desk, and step away from your workspace both mentally and physically until you must return to work the next day.
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