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6 Best Practices for Working from Home

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August 28, 2019

More and more entrepreneurs are working remotely. Working from Home – full-time / part-time or in co-working space or even at nearby coffeeshop has its own advantages yet challenges.
When I started my business , after working for a large company, I had grown accustomed to being surrounded by people each day.
Working from home provided peace and solitude, yet I was lonely.
I had no one to interact with except my yellow Labrador. No humans were around for sharing ideas. I worked long hours, many in my pajamas.
No one was there to hold me accountable for my work and I had to force myself to rise at a reasonable hour each morning and develop self-discipline.
But after a while, I set up a regular routine, and adopted some best practices.
Here are some tips to keep in mind to stay focused on your work throughout the day if you are working from Home :-

1. Set and keep regular office hours.

Most people who work from home find they work too much rather than too little. Other remote workers struggle to keep a regular schedule — working a few hours one day and pulling an all-nighter the next.
Some interruptions can’t be avoided. Client deadlines may unexpectedly require extra hours.
Family obligations can interfere as well, especially if children are home during the day.
Do your best to set work hours and stick to them. Then try your best to leave work in that time and turn your phone on silent and enjoy the rest of your day.
Give yourself some time to recharge so you can be as productive as possible.

2. Plan and structure your workday.

Structure your workday to maximize efficiency. Take advantage of your body’s natural rhythms and plan your work around your most productive hours.
If you know you focus best in the morning, resist the temptation to check email until 10 a.m. or later.
Make a list of your most important tasks before you move on to less urgent business.
If possible, shut your office door (if you have one) to signal to others that you’re working and don’t wish to be disturbed.

3. Dress to impress (even if it’s just for your wooden furniture).

As enticing as it is to stay in pajamas all day, this is not the best work habit. The way you dress affects you psychologically.
Taking the time to shower, have breakfast, brush the teeth and dress can make someone feel more confident.

4. Set aside a designated work area.

Consistency is an important aspect to working from home. Try to work at the same spot every day.
It could be a spare bedroom that you’ve turned into a home office, a desk located in the corner of the living room or even the dining room table.
Surround yourself with things that inspire you and make you happy including flowers, music and pictures.
Make your home workspace a place you enjoy going to each day, an area where you can focus and do your best work.

5. Take breaks.

Schedule time for frequent breaks throughout the day. Rise from your desk, stretch or walk around the house or down the street.
Take a lunch break and enjoy a midday meal.
If you need a little socializing, go out to lunch with friends or clients.
A major advantage to working from home is having flexibility.
If fitness is important to you, a quick trip to the gym can reinvigorate you and make for a productive afternoon.

6. Avoid distractions.

One challenge of working from home is accountability. With no colleagues or partners nearby, it’s easy to become distracted.
There are always some work at home to do. Do your best to put off household tasks, like laundry and dishes, until you’ve gone “home” mentally for the evening just like if you are employee.

Don’t waste time or money on meetings or activities that are counterproductive to your success.

Blog, business, Entrepreneur, homepage_blog

5 ways Dreamers can Become Doers

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August 28, 2019

You like to dream…..we all like to dream…for it doesn’t cost much…Maybe you’ve been called a dreamer your whole life—by others and by yourself.
Remember that being a doer isn’t necessarily better than being a dreamer. You need both to succeed.
If you’re really off kilter and have a lot more dreamer tendencies, it’s time to take action. Here are some of the easiest, quickest ways to embrace your inner doer so your dreamer can take a little break.
Remember, without a comprehensive, balanced approach you’ll just keep going in circles:

1. Write down goals and give them a deadline.

So, you say you want to write a novel and have it ready to submit to literary agent or publishing house. That’s awesome – but how far along are you? What do you define as “submission ready”? How long can you write per day, and is it scheduled into your routine just like work or going to the gym?
Depending on where you are with your draft, choose a deadline for being submission ready (less than two years out), or schedule mini-deadlines, such as two chapters written by month’s end. This approach works for any goal, not just a novel manuscript.

2. Balance wants and needs.

Every time you decide you want to do something, follow that up with a list of steps you need to take to make it happen. This might mean saving a certain amount of money for a special event like your wedding. If you want to save 10,00,000 in one year, look at your budget and figure out what you need to cut to make that happen. You might also need to pick up more hours at work, a second job or practice more frugal living.

3. Surround yourself with doers.

Birds of a feather certainly flock together, but you probably have more doer acquaintances and friends than you realize. Who are your five best friends? Dreamers feed off of each other, but if you’re around doers they will inspire you. The staunchest ones aren’t quick to indulge your dreamer tendencies and will want to know what your plan is. Remember: you are in charge of your support network.

4. Stop doing what doesn’t work.

You know Einstein’s definition of insanity, so why do you get stuck in that rut? If you’ve been dreaming about something but your attempts haven’t led to positive results, it is time to stop, reassess, figure out what’s wrong and try a fresh approach. You’ll never get anywhere making the same mistakes over and over again.

5. Assume everything will take longer and cost more.

One of the downsides of being a dreamer is that it is easy to think of everything as, well, easy during the dreaming stage. However, things have a tendency to take more money and time than you imagine. When writing down your action plan, increase time and money by ten percent and give yourself a buffer. The worst case scenario is you’ll succeed with time and money left over.
Don’t let your drive to be a doer brush your dreaming tendencies totally under the rug. It’s your source of inspiration, creativity. and means of reaching for the stars.