Staying on Track When You Work From Home
by Leslie Godwin
When I had a 40 minute commute, and a long workday, I fantasized about those lucky people who worked from home. I pictured people relaxing with a cup of coffee and the newspaper each morning, since they didn't need to rush onto crowded freeways. Then, I figured, they got plenty of work done (since they had no distractions) until it was time to break for a festive lunch with the family. Then, it was back to being extremely productive until the end of the work day.
It never occurred to me that without a deadline to leave the house, that by the time I finished my coffee, ate breakfast, walked 2 Great Danes, and showered, that it would be time for lunch.
TIPS FOR STAYING MOTIVATED WHEN YOU'RE WORKING 'HOME ALONE'
Do your plans include working out of a home office, or in a home-based business? Or do you already work from home and want to be more productive?Here are some tips that have helped me stay on task instead of surfing the net or watching a high-speed car chase all afternoon.
Know what you need to accomplish each day:
Staying focused on your top priorities is especially important when you don't have an on-site supervisor to keep your attention on the big picture, or when YOU are the supervisor. It's way too easy to get distracted by what Stephen Covey calls "urgent but not important" items and lose sight of "important but not urgent" ones. In other words, don't take a non-critical phone call when you should be working on your marketing plan.
Start each day with a review of your schedule and to-do list. Do you need to write a Mission Statement? Will some market research help you better assess a new aspect of your business? Should you write a rough draft of the talk you'll be giving next week?
Get your top priority items done when you're most productive, and you won't have to go back to work after dinner to finish up something important.
Give yourself some structure
You're more likely to get that "important but not urgent" item checked off your to-do list if it's scheduled for 11 AM on Tuesday, and not just in a file somewhere on your desk.
Help your family and friends understand that you're working
When your spouse, neighbor, or mother-in-law pops in, say, "I'm working now, but I can take a break at [specify time]." Your mother-in-law may never fully grasp that you're on the job, but your spouse, neighbors, and friends should respect this boundary.
Type up a sign that you can tape to your front door when you're on an important call or on a deadline that says, "In meeting, please don't interrupt."
When a child pops in:
If you're the primary caretaker of children, working at home with kids is like bringing them to work with you, only worse. Working from home is NOT the same as being a stay-at-home parent. If you're NOT the main person responsible for childcare duties during the workday, and your child pops in, please don't say, "I can't now, I'm working." Your child will always remember that mantra, and it'll eventually cost you thousands of dollars for their psychotherapy. It's better to give them your full attention for a few minutes, then either invite them to bring a book or homework in and join you, or tell them you'll see them at [specify time] ... and stick to it!
Remember why you wanted to work from home
Build some fun activities into your day. Schedule breakfast with one child one week, another the next. Walk your dog when you hit the wall on a project to get a fresh perspective.
And try not to make your friends and colleagues envious that your commute takes less than a minute.
Leslie Godwin, MFCC, is a Career Life-Transition Coach specializing in helping people put their families, faith, and principles first when making career and life choices. She publishes a free email newsletter on career and life transition. To subscribe, email
godwinpss@aol.com
and mention that you'd like to be on the email newsletter list. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com.
