We are in a situation where many people will be working remotely for a period of time.
This can be a challenge in general, and is made more challenging for families where the kids are home now too. Having been a home-based entrepreneur for the past 31 years, I have a lot of experience with this situation.
This may be helpful for you personally, and also for your employees should you have some.
Working from home presents distractions, temptations, accountability issues, and productivity problems for those who have not done it before.
Here are some simple tips:
Set Boundaries: Just because you are home doesn’t mean you are “off.” Your family isn’t used to you working from home and won’t automatically associate you as working. Your husband/wife/partners/kids will innocently barge right into your work if you don’t help them understand that you are in fact working. Have a family discussion to help everyone understand. They are still going to interrupt you, because they won’t always remember, but it will dramatically reduce how often and will allow you to remind them you are working without them feeling hurt.
Designated work space: If you don’t have a home office, then use a spare bedroom. If you don’t have one of these, and your house is busy, try using your basement. If you don’t have one of these, then your bedroom is the fall-back if you have children. Make this the last resort if possible. When I started my first business we lived in a four room apartment…kitchen, tiny dining room, living room, bedroom. I put my desk in the corner of the dining room. This is a possibility without kids at home, but will be too distracting with children traffic. The key thing is to have a place to “go to work.”
Clock in and clock out: Set your schedule and stick to it. Show up for work when you normally would and stop when you normally would.
Plan work activities and track progress: Plan your work and work your plan. The location doesn’t matter. The work does.
Dress for work: Some people need to do this and some don’t. I had to when I first started. I was so undisciplined that I played all kinds of tricks on my brain to make sure I did the work. I have friends who still put on a short and tie, along with their shorts😊, to help them feel they are at work. I on the other hand can work in the rattiest clothes you’ve ever seen!
Capture time efficiencies: This is a planning benefit anyway and something I teach for higher level training, but will really help you. When is the best time to make certain kinds of calls? Answer certain emails? What are the priorities of certain people you interact with. Planning effectively for efficiencies helps you to get more done in less time.
Have an accountability partner: This is especially helpful if you are doing sales and now you have to work more from home. The environment can affect your motivation. Having a partner to run with can be very helpful.
3 Circles: Prioritizing and living the 3 Circles Platform changes the game for your long-term productivity. You now have the extra time that would have been used in commuting to implement this and see the increased impact in all corners of your life in addition to showing up more energized and positive in your job.
I hope you found this helpful. Feel free to share with fellow employees are managers/business owners.
Many Blessings, Todd
P.S. “3 Circles Living” will not only help you condition yourself properly, but it will also give you an exact formula for achieving your richest life possible. It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen!
