Introduction
Before I start this article, sincere apologies for further delay in getting this out to you, one of the major reasons is caused by the problems associated with the standalone article which I published, it is still causing me problems with the amount of time that it is taking to sort out or I should say delete the daily influx of mails to my business account, to such an extent that I am trying to find time to completely revamp my entire advertising strategy. In fact I have now stopped advertising for the time being whilst I try to get to grips with the problem.
This part is about motivation, mine was stirred completely, when in reply to a WA blog of mine someone commented that I had being doing the same operation for two years, that was sorting out my files and hard drive. This made me ashamed and angry with myself. Result total motivation to sort out the problems, even if it delays the business, WA and websites until I have it sorted.
Forgive me starting with this paragraph, but felt that it might help with your own motivation, when things are not quite going as you would like them to. You just have to face facts and change things to enable you to work on your business, mine has been virtually going nowhere, I change tack to often without completing the task that I started out to do. This kick was just what I needed to revitalise not only the business but me.
Perhaps have been a little hard on myself here, as I have continued to improve websites, get funnels ready and write material, not to mention doing research and training. it is just that at times like us all I get frustrated. As my wife tells me, I also forget that I am retired and have been for over ten years, so the Inter Net is often seen as more of a hobby, as I do not really need the money. Probably the reason that I fail to concentrate or complete tasks. Will be totally honest here as I can hear you say why not give it all up. The reason is very simple – I just love doing it.
When you first decide to work from home you will need to consider a number of things which hopefully this article will cover. It is important that you realise that unless you remain really efficient, well-organised and more importantly productive, then you will almost certainly fail.
Working from home sounds like the perfect lifestyle, and it can be, but you will have to make yourself stick to a working plan or schedule. This does not mean that you still do the 9 to 5 routine that you are trying to rid yourself of. No, it means that you have to be disciplined in your work ethic.
After all you still need to earn money
In this article I have listed a number of things that I feel you must do, if you are to make a success of your home based business, hopefully you will then have more time to relax, spend time with the family and enjoy being free of the daily commute.
Plan Your Time and Home
1. Schedule Your Time
Working from home can make you get your eyes off the prize very easily especially since you are your own boss. No rush, no answering to nobody, such freedom, right? Don’t put this mentality in your head. Make a to-do list for everyday beforehand and try your best to meet it. Waking up early in the morning at a set time and getting the basic tasks done is a very good way of getting you into a working mood. Remember you are not a monopoly.
2. Customize Your House
There is no place better than home, the place you kick back and relax at the end of the day, right? That’s true, and as such, you should not view your home as a home but as a workplace. Try to get a place in your house and customize it to look and feel like an office. You can make use of one of the extra rooms if any or clear out the basement or even the loft, as long as you are away
from the tempting pleasures like the entertainment set. Also, behave like people in ordinary jobs do. Dress up for work, get to your “office” on time, and have a schedule on when doing what.
Must confess that I do not put on a suit or a collar and tie, neither do I wear a dressing gown or pyjamas! Smart casual yes.
We have a large second bedroom, as the third bedroom is also a reasonable size, this has become the guest bedroom. Guess what I have the second bedroom as an office. Rest assured that is exactly what it is.
However, what if you do not have a spare room that you can use? You must have somewhere to work from, a space that you can set up as an office, so where.
A corner of the dining room or lounge, where you can have at least a computer desk for your business. The family must realise that this is yours for work, not for playing games on, skyping or mailing friends. Strictly business, if this could cause a problem, buy them a laptop for the family to use.
If possible try not to use the dining table, it will only cause friction.
Think About Money
It is possible that you may be wondering why I am advising you to think about money, when, if we think about it the main goal of working either at home or for someone else is to earn money.
You may be wondering why I would advise you to be money oriented when the main goal of working is to get money. It is not uncommon to hear people talk about how they can’t wait to get out of work; It is like they are imprisoned. This should not be the case for you, especially since there is no one supervising you. Be intent on making more and more money, and every time you make some more you will feel that the work has paid off, and that way you won’t relax on the job. Also, develop a passion for the job to not feel like a prisoner.
Think that with the extra money, whilst some must be reinvested in the business to help it grow, extra cash could give you and your partner, plus family if you have one, a really good holiday, or a new car, even a new home.
The Family Matter
As long as you are working at home, you will have a lot of interaction with your family. However, try to make them understand that you are on a “real” job even if it is from home. They must respect your time. It is possible however maybe young children who simply can’t understand this. In that case, try to get a nanny for them to get their attention away from you.
The above may sound a little bland, but you do need the support of your family if you are to make a success of working from home. One idea is to offer a little bribe, it will depend on the age of the children, but the promise of a treat, such as the pictures on Saturday, or a visit to the Zoo, if they let you get on with your work.
If the children have left home, or you do not have any, then pamper your partner with the same idea.
This is why it is so important that you do have a space of your own that you can work in.
Time For You and The Family
All work and no play make John a dull boy. Take some time off to refresh your mind and clear your head so you can resume your job with replenished energy. This way you will offer better services making your customers feel more satisfied and build your reputation. The last thing you want is to get burned out.
As Holidays are out at the moment due to the World situation, I have just had a few days off. All I did was check the inbox to make sure that nothing was urgent, more importantly to stop it over flowing when I started work again, this would have taken up valuable time.
As mentioned in the previous section, taking the children or your partner out, will do you all the world of good. You do not have to spend a fortune to do it, a visit to the local park, go for a good walk as a family. Make then aware that you care, but also that you do have to make a living so that they can have treats and holidays.
Conclusion
These tips or ideas are designed to help you be more productive at home. If you adopt them from the very start then, it should enable you to get your business of to a flying start, as you begin your journey into the world of Inter Net Marketing, or continue it as a full time occupation.
Enabling you to have more money, better hours, more freedom and generally being able to do want you want when you want. But it will take time and a lot of hard work to achieve this.
Try these productivity tips for the home business owner and see your business improve, even if you only do one at a time.
As always do so hope that you have not only enjoyed this article, but that it has given you some ideas which you can use, when you are working from home in your own business.
If you do have any comments, as usual we will be delighted to see them, we do appreciate the time that you take in writing them.
The next article which follows on nicely from this one will be ” 2 – Staying Motivated” hopefully in about three weeks.
Be Happy, Healthy and Wealthy and please do stay safe.
Stuart
https://learningandwealth.com