Tips For Working From Home

After my last blog, I decided to research a little bit about working at home. I needed some guidance to make sure that I fit in time to work around all of the other things that I have to do. Taking care of children can be all-consuming but there is also the house, yard, and all of the other critters.

During this time, I found a very helpful blog. Some of her pointers were wonderful. When I was reading her blog, it made me think of a few other tips. So, how can you make it work when you are working from home?

Spend (quality) time with your children.

This point really hit home for me. Some days I really don’t feel like I do much with the boys, other than feed them, give them drinks, and take care of them. I don’t play with them or do much other than the daily care of them.

What is the point of working from home if you are not able to spend time with your kids? Some parts of the day should belong to them. They need to feel like you still have time for them. They thrive on your love and attention. Besides, how hard is it to work when your children are trying to get your attention?

Find the times when you are most able to work and use that time wisely.

This was also something that I had never thought about. Are you an early riser who can easily get up and get an hour or two of work done before the kids wake up? Or are you a night owl who can stay up for hours after your kids are in bed? Find the times that work best for you and use it to your advantage.

Set a schedule (to the best of your ability) and stick to it.

Try to give yourself business hours and use that time to work without distractions. We all know that things come up (like doctor’s appointments and sick children) but if you work most of your business hours, you should get a lot accomplished.

Eliminate time wasters.

When you do have time to work, make sure that you work. Do not check your email or Facebook. Realizing how you waste time, might give you some insight into a better way to get done. Maybe you need to only check email or Facebook once a day, instead of the ten (or more) times that you do.

Know what things need to be done BEFORE you have time to work.

This is where my problem is lately. I have too much on my work to-do list, that I end up going from one project to another, not getting anything done. You should not waste your precious working time trying to decide what you really need to get done. My calendar is not working. I just simply move things from one day to another. I am going to have to look into another type of time management system. There are several on the internet that you can try. Some are even free.

Set timers for certain tasks.

This can be used for things such as checking email and work projects. Maybe you can spend twenty minutes on your social media marketing and a half an hour on projects that will make you money. I am going to invest in a timer myself and try this too. I think it is a wonderful idea.

Give yourself some downtime so you don’t burn out.

Working from home is very hard. Spend some time doing things that you enjoy. If you work outside of the home, you get evenings and weekends off (depending on your job). So, as a business owner, it is important to take time off too!

Just remember that some days are going to be easier than others.

You might not get everything done on your list but, if you work a little harder the next day, you might be able to make it up. Sometimes, it is better to walk away than stress as you struggle to get anything done. Give in to the children and play with them. It is not like you are really going to get anything done with them pestering you.

Owning a business is hard, especially when you work from home with your children. Make sure that you take time to enjoy your kids and reward yourself. Sometimes you might have days where you don’t get anything done but there is always tomorrow. Try to set a schedule so that you and your family know when you are working. You could be better off if you worked when you are most productive. Have a plan, so when you have time to work, you can get right to it. The most important thing is to make sure that you enjoy your work, so it does not feel like work.

Do you have any other tips? I am hoping to use these and get more accomplished when I do have time to work.