adminWithin this article today on how to be more productive working from home, we will look at various disciplines that will catapult you to success in your home business. These tips are simple but are very often ignored or taken for granted by people starting new businesses. By explaining how to set up your home office, how to keep schedules and how to dress for success, you will be well on your way to increasing productivity when working at home.
Set up your home office
Now that you have taken the first step towards starting your own business, it is of paramount importance that you set yourself up for success. This starts by creating an environment conducive to efficiency and productivity. Bearing in mind that you will be in a non-traditional working environment, you have to clearly define your professional work area.
Designate an area in the house which does not have any distractions. The equipment and type of space you would need for your home office depends on what type of business you are setting up. For example, you can choose a spare room in your house which will insulate you from the noise in the rest of the house if you need to be on the phone a lot of the time. If clients will be frequenting your home, it might be more efficient if your office is close to the entrance of your home.
Lighting
In considering how to be more productive working from home, lighting is important. The more light you have in your space, the more alert and productive you will be. Health and well- being is an important factor especially when starting a home business, therefore think about how the lighting you have can prevent eyestrain and headaches – go for more natural light for greater productivity.
Children as a distraction
Having children younger than school going age can be a challenge because chances are your children might not understand that even though you are at home, you are ‘at work’. If it is possible, ensure that you have someone else looking after them during your working hours. It might seem weird to do this but as the focus of this article is how to be more productive working from home, we need to tackle how family at home can be counter-productive to your business start-up success if boundaries are not set from the beginning.
If your children are of school going age and can understand that you are working, they need to be told that you do not need to be disturbed unless it’s an emergency. It would be wise to prepare your children and have a conversation with them about what an emergency constitutes or else not being able to reach the Oreo biscuits in the cupboard would be considered an emergency.
Most importantly, if you want new clients to take you seriously, having children squabbling and crying in the background might not set you up for the success you want to achieve – landing that new account. At all times, present a professional demeanor so that clients know they can trust you.
Schedules and dressing for success
Decide on a time that you can operate at optimum in order to work from home and put on the mindset you have when you go into the traditional office. When you are starting up a home business, it’s easy to ignore the alarm clock and get up whenever you want to get up. You are your own boss, you should be able to keep the hours that you want, right? Wrong! This is a misconception that many who are going into the home business have. Yes, you are your own boss, but if you work from 9 to 5 one day, and then don’t get up until noon the next day, clients or your family will not take you seriously.
When you are setting up your home business, the first thing that you should do is to pick a schedule and stick to it. This way your customers know when they can reach you. This is good for business, will help keep your customers coming back and it is how to be more productive working from home.
When you sit down to plan out your business hours, figure out a starting time and a closing time, and factor in time for lunch as well. If you were working in an office environment, you would take a lunch break so set an acceptable amount of time to be at lunch and stick to it. You don’t have a time clock that you have to go by, but you will have customers who are counting on you to be reachable during the hours that you advertise. Tempting though it is to keep working continuously, it’s important to stick to your time when you will be closed for the day. We advise you not to spread yourself too thin by going over your designated close of business time.
About the dressing, the first thing that you should keep in mind is that you should stay away from working in your pyjamas. If you are in your pajamas, what are you thinking about? You are thinking about sleeping and that does not motivate you. It makes you want to crawl back into bed and not get anything done. Instead of wearing your pyjamas, wear something that would be considered business casual. Even if you are the only one that sees you dressed that way, it will make you feel like you are working instead of just doing something from home.
Something that those who work from home run into, is that their friends and family don’t think that they have a real job because they are sitting home in their pyjamas and slippers, while the rest of the work force goes to work in suits and skirts.
If you dress in business casual and someone does stop by, it will show that you are serious about your job, and that you have a real- job. It will make you feel better and it will make them feel better as well. When you look like a professional, you will feel like a professional as well.
Conclusion
The crux of how to be more productive working at home is to prepare your mindset, set up your space, prioritise and start with the most important task – the one you are most likely to procrastinate on, avoid distractions and dress for success!
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