For a lot of people, working from home is the dream.
They imagine working around their kids’ schedules, cooking a healthy lunch midday, working with their doggie snuggled up with them on the couch and doing work that they love all day every day.
While I love working from home with my three lab mixes snoring at my feet, there are some downsides.
You have to become an anti-procrastination queen or you’ll just end up spending the day doing laundry, mopping the floors and having Netflix marathons. You have to learn how to be a great boss or you’ll burnout when your health plummets from sitting at your desk for hours and hours without breaks or exercise.
Since May of 2009, I’ve worked from home. I quit my day job and became my own boss. And, let me tell you, I was in for a shock.
It wasn’t as easy as I had envisioned. I actually missed chatting with coworkers throughout the day (even though I’m an introvert), getting dressed in outfits that made me feel good about myself (cause what’s the point when it’s just you?), and working based on deadlines that someone else set for me.
I realized that I was going to have to create my own rules for working at home if I wanted to avoid having to return to my day job.
I’ve learned a lot over the past seven years and I’d love to share my top tips for working from home successfully.
1. Develop trigger habits.
When you do the same thing day after day when you sit down to write or to paint or to market your business, your brain gets triggered that it’s time to do that specific task.
Before I sit down to write, I brew a cup of tea and light a few candles. That tells my brain that it’s time to write a blog post or sales copy or young adult fiction. It makes transitioning from doing my hair and makeup or eating lunch to writing much easier.
What are the tasks you need to do every day to run a successful business? Do you have triggers already? If not, create some now. It’s fun and it works!
2. Keep set work hours.
This one is particularly hard at first. Either you get distracted and end up doing things like laundry and decluttering your closet when you’re supposed to be working or you overwork yourself until your body fights back and you get sick.
I’ve fallen into both of these camps before. When I first started my business, I didn’t take one day off (including weekends or holidays) for six months. Eventually, my husband told me that he missed his wife and I realized that I couldn’t keep that pace if I wanted to be healthy and in a happy marriage.
And, there have definitely been days where I’ve spent my work time doing things besides work.
Because I have serious autoimmune issues, this is still tough for me. But, I’m much more productive when I set specific work hours and spend that time working on my business.
If you find yourself procrastinating or working way too much, you should decide on your work hours and keep to them.
3. Don’t let friends or family stop by or call.
Another reason you should have set work hours is to be able to tell your friends and family when you won’t be available.
Sometimes friends and family members think ‘working at home’ means that you can talk on the phone for an hour when they want to complain about a coworker or that you can run to the grocery store with them.
When you take your business seriously, your friends and family will, too.
4. Get dressed.
In the beginning, I thought one of the biggest pluses to working from home was the ability to do it in my pajamas or yoga pants with a messy bun and no makeup.
I mean…why would I spend time picking out an outfit and doing my hair and makeup if the only people who saw me during the day were my husband and the mailman?
But there’s something about spending the day in yoga pants that gives you more permission to clean, watch television, and take a nap. When I get ready for the day, I feel a lot guiltier about doing non-work things. Even though it takes me 30-45 minutes to shower and get ready, I get more done on those days.
I also think it’s important to look your best for your spouse. I want to wear an outfit I feel great in and do my hair and makeup even if the only person who sees me that day is my husband. He’s the most important person in my world so he deserves my best.
If you’re currently a ‘work all day in yoga pants’ kinda girl boss, try getting ready each day over the next month. You don’t have to go all out. A nice outfit, brushed hair and lip gloss and mascara can do wonders for your mood and confidence.
5. Turn off notifications.
Unless you want to get pulled out of work every other minute (which means it’ll take you waaaaaaay longer to accomplish anything), turn off all notifications.
I know this is hard and you’ll probably even get a bit bored at first without that constant stream of interruptions, but you’ll realize how much more you get done. Totally worth it.
6. Move your body.
Most creative entrepreneurs sit or stay in the same position all day. In the beginning, you’ll probably just suffer from sore shoulders and a cramped neck at the end of each day.
But, as time goes by, your health will suffer if you don’t make a concerted effort to move your body every day.
You’ll also gain weight, feel more sluggish and be susceptible to depression and anxiety. So many of us get wrapped up in our work (which is a great thing to love your work that much), that we don’t look up until it’s dinnertime or too late to workout.
This doesn’t mean that you have to go to the gym for an hour every day. If that’s not your thing, try a few of these:
- Start your day with 10 minutes of exercise. I start most days with 10 minutes of yoga.
- Always take the stairs when that’s an option.
- Take short walks (10-20 minutes) a few times a day. If you have a doggie, he or she will thank you for it.
- Try to hit a certain amount of steps each day.
- Replace your desk with a standing desk so you’re on the feet when you’re working at your computer.
- Go for an evening walk with your spouse to share your highest and lowest moment of the day with each other.
- Whenever you’re on the phone (for business or personal reasons), stand up and walk around during the phone call.
It’s not important what you’re doing for exercise. It’s just important that you exercise. You’ll be more likely to come up with creative ideas and feel happier when working.
7. Take breaks.
This one correlates with moving your body, because some of your breaks could be for 10 minutes of yoga or a walk around the block.
But, even if you’re not breaking for exercise, you should take a break every 60-90 minutes. Research has shown that we need breaks every 60-90 minutes. You know you need a break when you start to itch to check email or social media, you start to procrastinate or you feel like you need a snack or water.
These are signals that you should stop working and take 10-30 minutes to do something that will refuel you. That might mean eating a healthy snack of carrots and hummus or taking a quick 20-minute nap or drinking a cup of herbal tea while reading a good book for 30 minutes.
Lots of entrepreneurs don’t take breaks because they think that they’ll get more done if they skip them. The truth is that you’ll get more done if you take breaks because your mind will be sharper, your body will be refueled and you’ll be less likely to fall into a Pinterest or Instagram hole while you try to write your next blog post.
8. Have set email hours.
Don’t let email rule your day. If you keep your email open all day, constantly checking to see if there’s anything new, your day will revolve around other peoples’ priorities and needs.
Instead, set aside anywhere from 15-60 minutes a day to answer your emails. Only open your email during that time. Otherwise, keep it closed. You’ll find that the world doesn’t end if you take a few hours to respond to someone.
9. Make sure you still network.
Working from home is most introverts’ dream scenario. You get lots of alone time (unless you’ve got young children) and don’t have to make benign chitchat with coworkers.
I get it. I’m an introvert and I love working from home all by myself. With that being said, my best days include some form of communication with other creatives. That might be a 30-minute Google Hangout with my best biz friend, Mayi or a live call for Sunday Society or an interview for someone’s podcast.
I also know the power of networking. If you try to build your business by yourself without getting any help from anyone, it’s going to take so much longer. When other people talk about you, your business and your products, it’s much easier to spend time on the stuff you love (like creating) because you don’t have to spend as much time on marketing.
The bottom line is that working from home should not be your hall pass to stop networking.
10. Set a top three each evening.
The thing that’s changed my productivity more than anything else is setting a top three each evening before I stop working.
My top three are the three most important things I need to get done the next day. I don’t allow myself to stop working until those three things are accomplished. It also helps me to jump right into work the next morning, because I know all of my to-dos are going to get done so I don’t need to spend 15 minutes trying to figure out what to do next.
Almost always, I do more than those three things. Getting my top priorities out of the way (usually by early afternoon) gives me motivation to keep going.
And, I always choose my top three tasks based on the goals I’m currently trying to reach—that way, I know that those tasks are high-leverage tasks that will help me move my business forward.
A big mistake many entrepreneurs make when they start a new business is that they jump from updating Twitter to writing a blog post to photographing a new product to updating Instagram without a plan. They’re doing all the things they think they’re supposed to do without an end goal in mind. That leads to lots of frustration and feelings of failure.
You should always know what you’re working towards. That’ll make planning your days so much easier.
There you have it…my top ten tips for working from home.
Have a tip that I left out? Please share in the comments below. (Thanks for reading and commenting! You’re the BEST!)
6, 7, and 9 are definitely where I fall down. I’m thinking about picking up a FitBit by year’s end… my sister has one, and it gives her a reminder 1x an hour to get up and move, and I think I could use that. When I get in to work-mode, I have a tendency to not budge… which is especially bad when I’m pregnant, because when I finally move, BOY DO I HAVE TO PEE!!! lol
And I’m bad about networking in general. I always kept to myself in my “real” jobs too… mostly because I never fit in. I had my first kiddo young (not like teen mom young, but younger than many people these days), so I didn’t fit in with the 20something party crowd. And then when I was a bit older, I was a fairly young divorcee with an abusive ex-husband, so I had trust issues. So I’ve never been very good at networking… probably why I enjoy Sunday Society so much… it’s not just a fantastic resource for feedback & brainstorming, but it’s my watercooler.
And as always your post comes at a perfect timing. I have just started working from home and oh yeah I think I’ve played with all ten… -.-
What really threw me was getting ready ever day. That made me so much more productive and I felt so much happier about myself. Now I am figuring out the exercise part.
Lately Facebook and texting have been really distracting! I’m trying to avoid those two things whenever I’m working from home. Having an office has helped me avoid the TV and I also make sure I get dressed, brew a coffee and light a candle in my office before starting work. I didn’t even realize I had that routine until I read yours lol
Thanks for a great post! Although I am still teaching full time, I am planning to retire at the end of this school year. I tend to jump from one thing to the next and I know I am easily distracted. I love to learn and try new things, which keeps life as an art teacher interesting, but after only one year with an Etsy shop to manage and promote, I can see that my lack of consistent focus will be an issue when I am working from home full time. I’m going to start putting some of these tips to practice on the weekends now and hopefully by next summer, I’ll be much better at managing my time at home!
I love this! I am feeling slightly guilty – I’m in my warm lounging pants at the moment – but it’s also keeping me from turning up the heater.
Another tip my optometrist gave me is about once an hour look a long distance away. Many of us working from home are either staring at a computer screen, or some other object a short distance away. By looking at something far off it gives our eyes a chance to relax and it’s healthy for them. This could be combined with the walk, or just gaze out the window for a few minutes every hour.
I struggle with keeping normal hours, one of the reasons I went into business for myself is to be able to help out with elderly relatives. I have been logging my time throughout the day on both personal and work projects, just to keep myself in balance. Fortunately much of my “day” job activities can either be shifted to different hours and/or be taken care of when I’m out and about.
Great post April! I really like the trigger idea, and creating a set routine with those triggers. I’m working from home, and just yesterday I was in closets filling bags to go to Goodwill and not working. I’m also a much nicer person if I exercise. Love your content! I’m also a former counselor. Take Care!
Although I work part time at a day job, I am trying to set aside blocks of time to work on my blog and photography. My biggest problem is I get distracted by social media. I have trouble sitting still for an hour without something distracting me, but I think some of that has to do with a lot of clutter around my house. That is something I am working on right now.
It’s the sitting that gets me! Oh my back! So I started the 30-Day squat challenge to get me moving. I need to incorporate a 10 min walk, too to help out.
Love all the tips!
I always make sure to get dressed. Working in my pajamas makes me feel icky and reminds me of the time I was battling severe depression. That’s certainly not a nice memory to have when I’m trying to work.
My biggest problem is social media, it sucks me in and that annoys me. I’m trying to schedule my messages in advance so I don’t have to be present everywhere, and I am using Focus to block every distracting app or site.
Great post, April! You totally hit the nail on the head about working at home. Although, it’s AWESOME to be your own boss and set your own hours, working from home certainly has it’s challenges! I love all of your suggestions. The only thing I would add is to make and stick to a schedule each day. If I plan what I need to get done and set a timeline for myself, I stay much more focussed and productive. I am also working on starting each day with ten minutes of meditation and ten minutes of journaling to clear my head before I dig into all of my “to-do’s”.
This is so great! I’ve done well with checking email only 2-3 times a day at a specific time and it helps so much. My issue though is with friends or family calling, texting etc and expecting me to be able to do whatever is at their whim. As in, when I say no they come back with a retort like “you can do that later”. Ugh! I need a stronger backbone.
I second getting ready to work by getting dressed. Not only does it help with the mental shift from “home” to “work”, but it means you are ready for anything that might pop up during the day.
Not to say I don’t work at home in sweats (I keep the heat down like Elizabeth does), but by showering and doing my face first thing, it means that if at some point during the day I have to go out unexpectedly to meet a client or whatever, all I have to do is change clothes and I’m all set.
As for more tips, I think it helps if you can carve out a space for work. I have a small office/studio, and my family knows that if the door is shut, I am working and they should not disturb me unless it is important. I usually close the door for phone calls.
Thank you so much for this article April! It just came at the right moment for me. Like you I am dealing with a severe autoimmune disease and chronic fatigue. Now, I have worked out, that it is better to commit to three hours a day and have two days off, instead of setting the bar so high, that I’ll never be able to do it! Three hours probably get me further than nothing at all, due to having too high expectations. Thank you for all your wonderful work! 🙂
April, I LOVE this post! It hit me as I have made these mistakes in the past. It is definitely hard to be your own boss… harder than most people realize. I love the tip about setting your own rules. I can totally spend all day doing laundry. With a newborn and Kindergartener, I am still figuring out my rules. I can try set work hours but with my baby, his sleep schedule is so unpredictable at this stage. The only times I do get work done is if I ask my hubby to watch him. That can only happen a few hours once a week as we are so busy. I’m try not to be too hard on myself and just enjoy this stage but still move forward, even if it’s at a snail’s pace. Maybe I can work out some childcare in the future.
Very useful post as always, thank you April. I think everyone struggles with 6 and 7 not just those who work from home. I currently have a full time job as a graphic designer and the only way I can convince myself to take a brake is to go to the office kitchen for an other cup of tea, it’s so far from my desk that it takes a few minutes to walk there. I feel refreshed every time I get back to my desk.
It would be interesting if you could write a post for those who are building their business beside their full time job. In one of your CreativeLive course you mentioned that you woke up early every morning to work on your business before heading to the office. That’s what I’m trying to do now. I’m a night owl so it’s f*cking hard (sorry), but I know that this is the only way to go.
Any other advice would be great. Maybe you know other entrepreneurs who are doing this very well and who would be able to inspire us working women and moms who want to have their own business but can’t quit their job yet. Thanks!!!
Thanks April your writing style is so engaging I really enjoyed the read!
Number 10!!
When I know what I need to do in the morning, I can jumpt right in. But on the days I don’t get the 3 things listed the day before, I’m completely lost and I spend a lot more time getting settled into work mode.
Thanks for the reminder April. As a mother with a kid in school, I am forced to shower, get dressed, eat proper meals and that helps a lot. It’s build in my day. After I bring my kid to school, I go around the block and cycle for 20 minutes. Also the Pomodoro technique is working great for me. In the 25 minutes of work It helps me not to get distracted and in the 5 minute breaks I do my social media or pour a cup of tea.
Love your top 3 idea… esp. as the fact that getting it written down would prevent me thinking about it all night 😉
I transformed my working station into a standing desk this september, and am amazed at the difference it makes ! Several health issues have just vanished and I wonder how much this has helped, but I’m pretty sure it helped !
I defiantly needed to read this today! I’ve been falling way behind on my work due to my procrastination…I’m really going to put these tips into good use!
great post (as always!). I am working from home since 2014. I get dressed every morning; make up included (for me it is a must); get my tea and lock myself in my office. At the beginning every time I had to do something I didn’t feel like doing, the laundry became a must do! now I’m much more disciplined. I’m flexible about my hours; but I do follow the advice of not checking my emails all the time. I’m not a fun of social media (for private issues; I use it just for business) so this is not a problem for me. Un abrazo from Barcelona to all of you! Paula
Just started my side hustle business and LOVED these tips, so very true – some I even had to learn the hard way! xox