Everyone thinks that having a home enterprise would be the most awesome way to make a living..
and trust me; I cannot imagine my life any other way.
But, let's face some facts...
not everyone can effectively and successfully work from home.
Sure, the home office tools are fairly basic; a computer, high speed internet,email...
but you also need the Correct Mindset.
You would think that once you have actually made the decision to start your home business that the hard work is done, right? You are thinking..
now all you have to do is roll out of bed, get a cup of coffee and make your way to your home business office ..
right? Not so fast..
Here are a few things that you need to consider to make sure that you are just as successful at home as you were in your 9-5 office setting: 1.
Create Your Working Environment.
Your home office doesn't need to be an elaborate CEO boardroom, unless you want it to be.
In fact, most people start their home business in a spare bedroom.
But, wherever your work space is going to be, you need to make sure that you set it up to be productive.
You will need the basics to begin with such as a computer, a telephone, high speed internet access and a printer that can also act as a fax machine.
Your office should be your space and your family should know that when you are in your office, you are there to work and not be disturbed.
Set this ground rule early and it will not be a problem; even for your kids.
I usually have an open door policy with my kids and even my kid's friends, but they know if my doors are shut, they are not to disturb me until I open them.
2.
Set Your Schedule.
What attracted you to work from home? Was it the flexibility that you have on your schedule? Was it not having a boss to report your time card to every day? Was it the ability to have choices to do what you want when you want during the day? Whatever your reasons were..
Be careful, this is still a home business and if you take that flexibility too far, you will not have a home business to go to.
Set a daily schedule for yourself and then stick to it.
If you have kids that you need to work around, get up a bit early and then work during naps, school and activities.
If you are a night owl and just cannot think of getting up anywhere before 9 or 10 in the morning..
that is great too.
Just realize that you will need to put in some hours to make your home business thrive.
Remember also that your clients need to know that they can be in touch with you during what are considered normal business hours.
If you are anything like me, the flip side to working too little is working too much.
Because you have your office in your home, work can and will always be waiting for you.
When it is time to end your day..
end your day.
Turn off the computer, go spend time with family, with friends and get rejuvenated for the next day.
3.
Make A To Do List.
Do not underestimate the importance of making your To Do List each and every day.
Your To Do List is what will organize your day.
I can promise you that without that organization you will get into your office and start to do a lot of busy work.
Sure you are physically working, but what actions did you actually take that will yield you the leads and the sales needed to become the huge success that you want to be? As you make your To Do List, I suggest that you do the tasks that you dread most the first.
Yes, there will be things that you do not want to do.
This is a business, but the sooner you get those tasks out of the way, the more fun you will have running your own home business.
Get the annoying monkeys off your back right away..
and the rest of your day will be focused and more productive.
Finally, I suggest you make your To Do List the night before as you wrap up your day.
It helps you to reflect on all of your accomplishments that you had during your day, and it gears you up for your next day.
You subconsciously can start to think of what you want to accomplish during the evening and you will start your next day with clarity.
4.
Limit Your Distractions.
This might be one of your biggest challenges in working from home.
I have worked from home my entire career and I still get distracted from time to time.
The tendency is to do things around the house, go and mow the lawn if it is a beautiful day and you have a packed weekend coming up, or take more time at lunch than you normally would in a regular office setting.
I am not saying not to do those things, but make sure that you are running your business as well.
Keep in mind your To Do List.
This will keep you focused on the activity that needs to be accomplished that day.
If, at lunch time you are ahead of your schedule, take a leisurely lunch; go get a mid afternoon run in..
after all that is one of the beautiful things about being your own boss.
If, but the end of the afternoon, you have accomplished everything on your list..
reward yourself ...
knock off early, go to the driving range, or mow that lawn so you can really enjoy your weekend.
But I cannot stress enough..
you need to think of your business as a business and run your home business as a business.
If you don't you will be out of business and back to the rat race of the 9-5 job.
5.
Enjoy Your Freedom!! My motto always has been work hard and play hard.
Enjoy the flexibility that you do have with your home based business.
Congratulations on taking control of your life in starting your home business and enjoy the incredible freedom that a successful home business offers to you.