I love the freedom I have being my own boss. I especially love the feeling of being able to work from home. I can drop my five-year-old off at school, get in 30 minutes of exercise and still be ready to start working at 9 am. Right now as I am working on this blog I am also doing a load of laundry and was able to run to the store and pick up some fruit and milk after dropping my son off. Later I will be able to do some research on an article I am working on, plus work on some more blogs, query a few more editors for work– all before I have to pick my son up from school at 3:00. But working from home has its pitfalls and one of the biggest by far is dealing with distractions.
Here are three tips that I have found useful for me that helps me deal with distractions and thereby making my work hours more productive.
Set definite work hours and let everyone know that during those times you are working and will not be available to chit-chat, run errands, babysit, etc. (try telling them you are going to charge them for your time and they will stop bugging you!).
When my son started kindergarten last week, I set my hours as 9 am – 2. This gives me time to take him to school, exercise and have breakfast before I get started. Then, I stop at 2 to have lunch and relax a minute before I have to pick him up again. I work again, after he goes to bed from about 9 pm until 11 or 12.
Screen your calls. When you work from home everyone will want to call and talk because they don’t think that you are really working. Get a phone with caller ID and use it. Get voice mail too. Return all calls at one time, maybe once just before you break for lunch and again in the afternoon.
Have a to do list. I find it easier to actually define and write down what I plan to do in a day. Rather than say ” I am going to work on blogs” or “I’m going to do research”, I actually sit down the night before and plan specifically what I am going to work on. For instance, I will write down the topic of the blog(s) I am going to write,what particular research I need to do, and which market to query or article to work on. A lot of this is based on deadlines. Then I sit down and work from my list and check each one off as I complete them. The good thing about this method is I can also gauge if I am planning too much in a day and can adjust my schedule accordingly while still being productive and getting the most out of each day.
And that’s it, three simple tips that have worked for me and I am sure if you try them they will work for you too. Now, where was I? Write blog on dealing with distractions– check!