What it Takes to Enjoy Success Working from Home

Since I work from home, I thought it might be helpful to do some short blog posts based on what I've learned. I hope it will be helpful to you if you or someone you know works from home or is considering this lifestyle ...

The work-at-home lifestyle attracts many people because of the simplicity and long list of anticipated benefits. 

• You don’t have a commute. 
• You don’t have to punch a clock. 
• You don’t have to sit for eight hours in a cubicle. 
• You simply get to wake up, walk down the hallway, and get to work. Right?

This is what many people envision the work-at-home life to be. In reality you have to possess some special qualities in order to be successful and make this type of transition work for you, especially if you're used to a JOB where someone else tells you what to do.

Self-Motivation – This is a must when beginning any entrepreneurial venture. When you work for yourself you need to be a self-starter and have the motivation to push yourself forward even when no one is telling you what to do. You will be reporting to yourself.

You won’t have a boss looking over your shoulder keeping tabs on your projects. So you must make the effort to decide what has to be done and create those deadlines for yourself. It makes sense to compose a list of short-term and long-term goals so that you have an idea of where you are headed in your business. Really take some time to do this and listen to what your heart is telling you. The truth is within you!

Organized – You have to have some sort of organizational skills in order to succeed at working from home. This can be a challenge especially if there are small children in the house. When life feels like it is constantly in disarray, you won’t be as focused on the work you need to get done. 

Although your work space doesn’t need to be perfect, it's a good idea to have a dedicated space with computer, files and other organizing tools. This helps boost productivity throughout the day as well.

Flexible – This is especially true of the work-at-home mom. If you have small children in the home, you must be willing to change up your schedule at the drop of a hat. Things come up that may mess with your hours and cause you to work late at night or super early in the morning. You must be willing to put in the time anytime of day to make it work. 

If you go into the work-at-home venture knowing you need to be flexible with your schedule, it will be much easier to adapt to this type of lifestyle. I always ask myself throughout my day, "is what I'm doing right now a business-getting activity?"

These are just three of many qualities that work-at-home entrepreneurs should possess. (Working from home isn’t nearly as simple as a lot of people think it is). It requires discipline, hard work, and sacrifice to make each and every day work. Not everyone is cut out for this type of life. You have to have a clear, concise idea of why you started this business and why you want this type of lifestyle. Once you understand your "why" it will be easier to focus on what it takes to succeed. 

P.S. - I strongly suggest that you post your "why" somewhere in your work space so that it's visible to you every day. You'll be glad you did when those moments come that make you want to stray off your path to success. 

Hope this helps.

Working from Home: How to Avoid the Loneliness and Isolation

Loneliness and isolation may seem like strange words when you’re talking about working from home. How can you feel lonely and isolated when you're at home with your children all day long? (It can be even more intense if you have no children at home). Anyone that has ever had a 9-to-5 job though knows that interaction with other adults is good from time to time. When you jump ship and work from home, this is no longer an option. 

When the only interaction you have is with a two-year old about what cartoon to watch or snack to eat, you might begin to feel somewhat alone. That sense of isolation can quickly turn to loneliness, but by being aware and planning ahead, you can easily avoid the work-at-home unhappiness effects.

Stay in touch with friends – It can be easy to let relationships fall by the wayside when you work from home. You are constantly busy with work and family and barely feel like you have time for anything else, but it’s important to make time to nurture these relationships outside of the home. 

Get a sitter for the kids and schedule a lunch date with a couple friends once or twice a month to catch up. If you know that you are going to do this ahead of time, it will give you something to look forward to and eliminate the feeling that you never have any adult conversation. 

Network – This is an important strategy in business and in life. You have to network with people if you want to further your business. The same goes for your personal life. Find others who work from home and stay connected with them. There are plenty of online forums in the work from home communities and special Meet-Up groups out there. 

You’re all in the same boat and will most likely be going through the same feelings. By having someone to bounce ideas, questions, and problems off of you won’t feel as isolated and alone. It helps to know that others share a common bond.

Take your work with you – I personally love the beauty of having a tablet. It’s so portable! When you begin to feel lonely, load up the kids and your tablet or laptop and go to the park for an afternoon. The kids will have a blast and you can get some work done in the sunshine and cool breeze. 

You can also check out the local coffee shop or Wi-Fi hot spot in order to be around other adults. Or get a sitter for a few hours and enjoy some grown-up time. You’ll be surprised just how rejuvenating and inspiring some adult interaction can be.

There are several ways you can avoid the feelings of isolation and loneliness while working from home. It can be quite the transition, especially if you are used to having co-workers to chat with and someone to eat lunch with everyday. Some say working from homes comes with a price. Yet the benefit of being home every day with the children, all while providing for your family is an opportunity that many would consider priceless. 

Hope this helps! (This is the fifth and final post on this subject. Stay tuned for more ideas  that can assist you in your journey of working from home).




 

3 Bad Habits to Eliminate When You Work From Home

It sounds like a dream lifestyle. No endless commute. No nagging supervisor. And every day is casual Friday. But ask any work-at-home entrepreneur and they’ll tell you that it’s also super easy to pick up a lot of bad habits. Unless you take steps to avoid them, these pitfalls can leave you disenchanted with your career choice.

1. Taking on too much – When you first begin to work from home it might be easy to say yes to every gig that comes your way. You want and need the money and are willing to work extra hours even for the jobs you don’t really want. This could be a hard habit to break, but until you get it under control, you’ll be stressed and burned out. Instead, focus on what type of client you really want and what type of work comes with each client. 

Determine the services you really want to offer and make it clear that you won’t step outside those boundaries. You might already have enough on your plate taking care of the youngsters while working. You don’t need to cause yourself undue frustration.

2. Bad Sleep Patterns – You might try to say that it makes sense to work at all hours of the night while everyone else is sleeping. You can get a ton of work done that way with no distractions. However, you are preventing yourself from getting a good night’s sleep and this will eventually catch up with you. I’ve done this myself and it WILL catch up to you.

Developing and maintaining a decent sleep schedule makes a world of difference when it comes to productivity and motivation during the day. If you feel the need to get things done after everyone else is sleeping, be sure you monitor how long you work. Don’t fall into the habit of staying up until the wee hours just to feel productive.

3. Procrastination – When you work from home it’s easy to fall into the habit of putting certain things off until later. Discipline and self-motivation are two important qualities that anyone who works from home must have. If you don’t, you may talk yourself into starting tomorrow on almost everything, including work that will bring in some good income for you and your family. It’s easy to say “I’ll do it later,” but it’s detrimental to your business and your overall success.

It’s important to develop good habits right from the start. Having control over your income is something we all want, but also a huge responsibility and it takes a lot of dedication to make the business work. Developing bad habits will not only hamper your success, but it will also create unnecessary frustration. And who needs more frustration?

If there’s one thing that can make or break a business it’s the sheer will and determination of the person running it. Avoiding bad habits from the start will give you that extra push you need to succeed.

When doing anything during your day, ask yourself, "Is what I'm doing right now an income-producing activity?"

Hope this helps!

Three Tips for Making Time for Work and Family

Since we've entered the age where technology allows us to work from home and avoid a daily commute, more and more people are taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity. Finding a balance between work and family life, especially if you have small children, can be challenging at times but not impossible.

With your newfound freedom, you may find it tempting to change up your hours on a daily basis and not have any set schedule. But this can often be a source of frustration because it won’t allow you or your family to get used to a daily routine. Instead, try these tips to create a schedule with ease, and without taking away time from family and the life you love.

Have Set Hours – Although you're no longer working the 9-to-5 job, it’s still important to schedule regular working hours throughout the day. This doesn’t have to be the same for everyone, though. Obviously, you can adjust it to fit your situation and family life. It may be easier for some to work early in the morning and others to start their workday late at night. 

Keep your family involved and come up with a plan together so everyone is aware of the daily schedule. Of course you might have to change your hours every so often. There are always things that come up and exceptions that can be made. It helps to know ahead of time what hours you will be working, however, and make life easier on everyone.

Take Time Off – If you are new to working at home this may seem like a foreign concept. You may not feel like you need or deserve time off because you are home every day. You have to remember that even though you're home, you're still working and providing for your family just as if you were working the 9 to 5. It’s important to schedule some “you” time and also family time every so often in order to avoid burnout and simply spend time with those you love.

Be Present – There's a saying that you shouldn’t take your work home with you. When you work from home that's somewhat hard to do but the concept is still the same. When you have worked your set number of hours, turn the computer off, shut the door and be done with it. Take the time to be present with your family and spend precious time with them without thinking about work and what still has to be done. This is hard especially when you're first starting out but you'ill get the hang of it. Don’t get caught up in wanting to get so much done that you're avoiding that important family time.

A daily schedule is going to be different for every single person. There is no right or wrong way to set a routine. The important thing is that you stick to it once you choose one that fits for you. Family and work balance is always tricky because you're being pulled in two different directions on a daily basis. Don’t stress yourself out trying to be everything for everyone. This is especially hard if you're new to this type of lifestyle because you want to get so much done and still fill your role within the family. Make a schedule that works for you, stick to it, and don’t overdo it.

Hope this helps!

How to Keep Your Toddler Busy While You Work

This is for all of you work at home Moms and Dads ...

Anyone who has a toddler knows that they are VERY busy and have short attention spans. 

When you work from home that can put some stress on youl – especially if you are trying to get work done. It’s important to set up an environment where you can be your most productive, but also keep an eye on the little ones as well. Although toddlers still need the attention of an adult, they can begin to learn how to play independently for short periods of time. 

There are several ways to help your day go smooth and keep your toddler occupied at the same time:

Toys – Keep a specific space within your home where there's a variety of toys, books, and puzzles that provides a place where your child can stay busy. He or she will begin to think of this as their play area and naturally want to spend time there. You don’t want to leave your child alone for hours doing this, but it’s a short-term fix so you can manage to get some work done, especially if you have to make phone calls. 

You can even sit with your laptop near the toy area so you can keep a close eye on him while you work. Puzzles tend to keep them busy for hours and they can learn the value of independent play while using their imagination and motor skills.

Play Dates – This may seem like a backwards idea but it works. Inviting other children over to play can take the focus off of you temporarily so you can get some work done. And if you have older children, you may be able to get them involved and keep the younger ones busy for a while. 

They can build forts, watch movies, or play dress-up and enjoy themselves for an extended period of time. Outside play is also a great option. You can bring your laptop outdoors and work while they burn some energy and get some fresh air.

Art Work – Although this may sound like the messiest of suggestions, your toddler will love finger painting, coloring with crayons and/or colored pencils, and making you other works of art to hang up on the fridge. Set up a special “art” studio for them, placing a big sheet on the floor (so you can avoid a huge mess) and have crayons, poster board, stickers and other safe art supplies so they can go to town and be an artist for a day. Kids love stickers! 

When my son was small, I bought a roll of butcher paper and taped it to the hallway wall so he could color for hours without me worrying about scrubbing the crayon marks off the wall. Worked like a charm!

Online Educational Games – Kids are getting started with computers earlier than ever, and even toddlers can learn simple online games. There are several wonderful online learning sites where your child can play educational games. They can have fun and learn at the same time - all while keeping them from distracting you because they are bored.

Toddlers are a bundle of energy that keep us going constantly throughout the day. While not all of these suggestions will work for every child or your current situation, with a little imagination, you can develop a plan to keep even the most high energy member of your family busy for an hour or two. Toddlers still have their own schedule and parents, have to work around that. Not every day is going to run smoothly. As long as you go into it with that mindset, it won’t be as frustrating down the road.

Hope these ideas help!