Is Working a Business From Home Too Comfortable?

If you’re anything like the old me, it was so easy to get distracted from working a business from home.  In the past, my story would go like this.  See if you can relate:

On my way to my office space to focus on my “to do” list so that I can build my business, I place the clothes in the dryer.

When leaving the laundry room, I notice the dishes need put away and figure it will take just a second so I do that.

As I’m wiping up the counter and my dishes have been put away, my eyes get a glimpse of the trash which needs to be taken out.

On the way to taking the trash out, I say hello to a neighbor and notice the plants on the porch need watering.

While I’m putting the hose away, I pull a few weeds and head back inside.

As I’m washing my hands, I see the floor needs to be swept.

The phone rings and it’s my friend.  We chat for  a few.

I grab a snack from the frig and head to my office again.  The phone rings and it’s my husband asking me how my business day is coming along. I tell him great but realize it’s now11:45 AM and actually, I’ve done nothing but procrastinate.

I could go on, but you get the picture. This really happens! Let me ask you a question. If you spent $600K on a brick and mortar business, and you needed to show up to unlock your door and conduct business, would you be doing all the busy things I just listed? Yes, but you would have done those at another time and not during business hours!

During the course of learning how to be successful in working a business from home, I realized that time management, commitment and desire played a huge role in determining my day. If you can relate to what I’m saying here, perhaps these simple steps can help you.

Make a list before you go to bed of all the things you need to get done the next day. Prioritize them. The ones that are income producing activities should go on top. Then your busy work can follow. The ones that can be done in the next couple of days will go on the bottom. Stick to your list, cross them off as you go and just get them done.

For me, I had to have a clean house before I felt I could spend time on my business. So I’ve gotten into a pattern of getting my housekeeping done first thing in the morning. I actually begin my work day about 10:00 AM. I start knocking out my list, making calls, posting articles, whatever and at 1:45 or so I stop for an hour. I eat, look at the mail, get some fresh air, call my mom and dad, think about dinner plans and what I need to do with my daughter after school.

I re-evaluate my progress and ask myself if I’ve been true to my dreams and goals in relation to the work I have performed that’s going to allow me to reach all that I want accomplish in life. If I need to put in more time, I do. If not, I don’t. That’s the beauty of having a home business. You’re your own boss, you set your hours, you know what you needs to get do and you decide on the time frame in which certain things must happen. It’s called taking charge of your life and your future.

What’s important to realize is the most likely reason for your lack of focus is really just putting off that which you don’t want to do. The tasks at hand in your business may require you to get out of your box and be uncomfortable. So, you subconsciously find busy work that you feel you can justify as a good days work.

Don’t lie to yourself. Be true to yourself. If you need help organizing, prioritizing, or you suffer from dealing with business tasks that are uncomfortable, talk with your mentor, coach or upline to help you through this critical adjustment. The effort is well worth it.

FUNNY TIP: When adjusting to working a business from your home, you’ll find yourself wearing your lounging clothes.  Clothes that you are accustomed to wearing on the weekend which signal your brain . . . . time off.  Relax.  Unwind.  You may need to adjust what you’re wearing to give your brain the message “we are still working” until you can get a better handle on managing your time as you run a business from your home.  Just a thought!  LOL!

I’ve written a series on time management which you may enjoy.  I’d appreciate your comments, thoughts, suggestions, struggles with time management, whatever you’d like to contribute.