One great perk that comes with being a small business owner is that you get to work from home. However, as glamorous as it may seem, it is not always easy to run a productive home office. Here are a few tips to keep you on track when working from home:
1) Have a Designated Office Space
Have a clearly defined workspace, preferably in a separate room where you can close the door and block out distraction. The work area should be off limits to your family and housemates: that means no one is allowed to rifle through your desk, borrow your stapler or mess with your computer. In a productive office, everything is always as the business owner left it.
2) Keep Strict Office Hours
When you work at home, your office hours may not be nine-to-five, but you do need to designate a specific part of your day to work. Do not allow friends and family to drop in unannounced. Do not let your spouse or anyone else think it is okay to expect you to pick up dry-cleaning or vacuum on a whim just because you are “at home.” These would be unreasonable requests if you worked outside of the home, so they are unreasonable if you work in the home: the point being, you are “at work.” Train your family, friends and clients to respect your office hours. Furthermore, respect your own hours: when it’s time to stop, stop. You need time to recharge and attend to other aspects of your life.
3) Do Not Let Your Worlds Collide
It is very easy to get derailed when you work at home. Do not let yourself get distracted by attending to household chores. It will take all the more effort to switch gears after throwing in a load of laundry or something outside of the realm of business. Be present: when you’re at work, BE at work and when you’re at home, BE at home.
4) Get dressed
You don’t have to wear a business suit when you work at home, but it’s psychologically hard to be motivated and productive when you’re still in your jammies at noon. Make it a habit to get up and put on something you wouldn’t be embarrassed to be caught wearing in public.
5) Get out.
Isolation is the dark side of working at home. Take meetings, do business lunches, go to networking events, take walks and gym breaks. Keep your spirits and energy high by interacting with people and getting a change of scene every now and then.
Despite the challenges, working from home is advantageous because it means that you can live life according to your values. You can choose to spend more time with your family, on your health, or whatever is important to you. Living a balanced life on your terms will no doubt have a trickle-down effecton your business and will help shape your brand values.Ultimately, living in accordance with your brand values will attract the kind of clients you want and create the kind of business you want.
Need a hand with your business’ brand? Call Kim Speed at Purple Moon Creative today!
