Many entrepreneurs choose to start a business from home. It has many advantages, such as not having to pay rent for business premises, but it is also a challenge because, without a boss and everything depending on you, there is a chance that you will not perform as well as you should. This is a topic I know very well because I have been working from home for several years. Here are some tips to keep you motivated.
Set yourself some work schedules
When you start a home-based business, you can choose to work whatever hours you want. If you don’t like getting up early, you can start late and finish late. But you need a work routine. Set yourself a schedule, and try to make it similar to that of a full-time worker (8 hours a day). If you don’t set rules about what hours you should be working, then you run the risk of working too little.
However, some studies and my own personal experience (very subjective) show that if you start early, you are more productive. So it is better to start at 9 than at 11. Also, just because you work from home does not mean that the rest of the world will adapt to your schedule. If you start too late, then you will have to finish late and that will be a problem for socializing.
Do what you don’t like first
This advice applies to any worker, whether they have a boss or not, and whether they are in an office or at home. But in the case of an entrepreneur who only depends on themselves, the risk of procrastinating is much greater than for an employee, whose boss would quickly call them out. In your job, there are surely things you enjoy doing and others that you enjoy doing less. If you start with the things that don’t motivate you, you make sure you do them, and then you can enjoy doing what you like.
Avoid Distractions
The phone, social media, or the Internet can distract you, so try to be careful. It’s not just the time you waste browsing or answering private messages; it’s also the time you waste trying to refocus on the task you are doing, especially when it’s a complex job that requires all your attention and reflection.
In my case, I use Facebook and Twitter to share articles like the one you are reading. More than once, when I enter these social networks, my attention has been caught by a hashtag or a post from a friend, and I have been able to waste time. Once you are used to it and know the risk of distraction, you do not fall so easily, but that temptation is always there.
Get out of the house
If you work from home, one of the biggest risks you run is social isolation. Even if you live with your family, it’s not enough; you have to see more people. You can have some activity, like going to the gym (although you don’t necessarily socialize much there), take a class, or just hang out with friends at night.
You can also go to work from time to time in coworking spaces , and socialize with other entrepreneurs. You don’t have to give up working from home, but getting out from time to time is a positive thing.
Prioritize
Just like we prefer some tasks over others, when you’re working from home you may also do some tasks automatically without realizing if they’re actually productive.
From time to time, you have to analyze what you do and the results you get , and then choose which tasks you should prioritize. Your goal is to sell and have a profitable business, so try out new strategies and prioritize tasks that have proven to be effective.
Train yourself
A professional has to keep growing and learning. When you work from home, it’s easy for the day-to-day work to make you forget that goal. Learning new things is very motivating because it helps you do new things and progress, breaking away from routine. In addition to reading books or blogs, you can sign up for training. There are many free courses that freelancers can access, but due to a lack of knowledge, they don’t.
Set goals
To stay motivated, there’s nothing better than seeing that you’re achieving results. But to know if you’ve achieved something, you’ll first need to have set a goal.
- You can set a media goal, for example saying that you have to call so many clients this week, or write so many articles, or prepare so many products.
- Even better is to set a performance target. Of course, it won’t depend 100% on you, but everything starts with your work, so the causality is clear. I mean establishing that you have to achieve this amount of revenue this month, for example.
Try to separate the spaces
Okay, you work from home, but it’s usually better to differentiate spaces so as not to mix everything up and to maintain a good work organization. For this reason, it’s usually a good idea to locate your office in a specific part of the house.
It’s also advisable to dress for work, and not do it in pajamas. This way you force yourself to be disciplined and make the difference between work and the relaxation of being at home.