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7 Tips When Working from Home

Guest post by: Warren Wooden

Article Overview: I remember clearly the forty minute commutes to and from work (though coming home always seemed to take longer) in the days when I wore a shirt and tie, and spent my days ensuring that the corporation I worked for had a profitable year, and the people above and below me were happy so I�d continue to receive that wonderful piece of paper that represented the single source that was my income. My paycheck!

7 Tips When Working from Home

I remember clearly the forty minute commutes to and from work (though coming home always seemed to take longer) in the days when I wore a shirt and tie, and spent my days ensuring that the corporation I worked for had a profitable year, and the people above and below me were happy so I'd continue to receive that wonderful piece of paper that represented the single source that was my income. My paycheck!

I am one of those who consider myself lucky to have left the corporate world of suit and tie, in order to start working from home, and can't imagine my life any other way now that I've taken the plunge. I have freedoms I only dreamt about and while I might work harder, and longer on certain days, I also am rewarded in direct proportion to my works and ideas.

There are a few tips that can help you to be more productive, and hence more profitable while working from home, because while there are a great many advantages to it, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out the areas that require a somewhat different approach if you're going to be successful at it.

Tip #1

Separate your workspace from the rest of the house, if you can dedicate an office or room to your business, all the better. Don't be afraid to close the door if there is a risk of being interrupted. Remember, you have the freedom to break whenever you like, but it's important to accomplish your set tasks the rest of the time.

Tip #2

Start your day fresh, and ready to attack! Make it a point to set your alarm, shower and shave, have a healthy breakfast, and roll up to your office down the hall, coffee in hand and ready to accomplish great things. It's nice that we now have the option to show up to work in our pajamas, but not necessarily the best approach. It's important to feel like a business owner!

Tip #3

Invest in your business, and its equipment this is how you plan to earn your living going forward, and as such you'll want to have equipment that is up to the task. The computer you inherited from your parents might be great for playing solitaire but you might want to delve a little deeper into the software world in order to help you automate some of the tasks involved in your business. Another consideration is the office chair, I see people sitting on everything from kitchen chairs to lawn chairs, but since your building an empire from this seat, you might want to make sure it's a comfortable one.

Tip #4

Have a clear vision of what you're trying to achieve with your business, and make sure you know what steps you can take in order to build it into a profitable and rewarding enterprise. Write out your daily tasks and projects so you don't find yourself killing time on Facebook, because you aren't sure what else to do.

Tip #5

Utilize "To do" lists to help keep you on track, and also to help you remember those tasks that come in throughout the day via email, or telephone. Remember, you can always push a task over to tomorrow if you feel it will interfere with the quality of today's tasks. You're better off postponing an extra task than cutting corners when it comes to another.

Tip #6

Set something of a schedule for yourself, so that you know what a full day's work looks like at this point in your business because depending on where you are with your business, you might be working 10 hour days, or 4 hour days, but it's important to know what time is yours, what time is your businesses, and of course what time belongs to your family and friends.

Note: This can go either way, some people tend to work much too little and condemn themselves to failure from the beginning, while others work 12 to 16 hours day in and day out, neglecting the rest of their life. It's important to work hard, but still have balance.

Tip #7

Maximize your time to the best of your ability; there are plenty of creative ways for you to work smarter rather than harder. My wife will typically drive if we are travelling more than 40 minutes so that I can either read or educate myself further on some aspect of my business, or I might even take a personal recorder along so I can record a guest post like this one to be typed up when we return home.

Working from home is both fulfilling and rewarding in so many different ways, and I encourage each and every one of you to consider whether it might be right for you and your family. Many people start businesses in their spare time, while working a day job, and manage to build up successful empires that end up fulfilling a dream for them of owning their own business. I wish each of you success and happiness!

"When things are at their worst, that is the time to redouble your efforts" - Warren Wooden

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Article Tags: business, goals, home based business, maximize your time, to do lists, work from home tips, working from home, workspace



Related Forum Posts
Business Tips - How about: Tips for managers to handle employees more effectively? Tips on how to deal with difficult customers? Tips on how to deal more effectively with suppliers? The only three I have in mind right now, but will try to come up with something else. Chris
Re: What is Your Favorite Thing About Owning A Business? - [quote="freddyb45":1t3lpfi8]For me it's the fact that all the time and effort you put in is worth a lot more, due to it making you "business" more profitable. Working for yourself is also a positive, although employing people you can trust is quite different.[/quote:1t3lpfi8] I like this idea. Working for yourself means you are investing in your own future, not someone else's, although there is value in working for someone else first to gain experience and confidence. Working for yourself does not automatically mean success, fame and fortune. For most entrepreneurs, it takes much work and dedication to get to the point of financial success and comfort - sometimes years. But the benefit is, again, you know you are investing in yourself and building equity for your own future. GT :-]
Re: Trade Shows - Are They Worth It? - HI, I have used trade shows (not participated) to collect potential clients. For example, the Home & Garden Industry is extremely behind the time in regards to their websites. I attended an Home & Garden Expo in Denver and collected all the companies contact information. I plan on cold calling & mailing information to each business. It also gave me time to research the industry more, talk directly to the owners in many cases, and learn more about what they need. Jeff
Re: help wanted in u.k. - Working on it all, a new world to me cheers brendan
Re: What is Your Favorite Thing About Owning A Business? - For me it's the fact that all the time and effort you put in is worth a lot more, due to it making you "business" more profitable. Working for yourself is also a positive, although employing people you can trust is quite different.


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