How to be a success working from home

Be successful working from home.

Your mission is to be a success working from home.

I know I am not the only one to write about this. And I probably could have chosen a different topic all together.

Yet, what I want to share with you are several small, actionable steps that you can take every day to lead you to being a success in working from home.

I’ll also share a few resources with you that I know may help.

First, define for yourself what being successful working from home means to you.

Second, list out how you will know you are a success. When you don’t know what it is it’s hard to actually know if you are successful or not.

A few examples:

• I begin and end my day at designated times.
• What has to happen is getting done in a timely manner.
• Lunch time means I actually eat a lunch.
• Revenue goals are being hit.
• It is business as usual, I’m following the plan I created for my business success and I see actual results.

For all successes to happen in your life, you need to know what your end results are.

Make a few work from home rules.

Ugh! Did you just make a face when you read that?

A long time ago I would have done the same thing. I didn’t really like “rules” and I really didn’t like routines.

Then I set about creating a few of each and much to my surprise I started to see the results I wanted.

Rules and routines are meant to help you be successful. 

One client I have has a rule that she gets up and gets ready for work like she would if she was going into her office. Then (and this is the really fun part), she leaves her house, gets in her car and drives around the block. 

She arrives back at home (her now office) and enters as if she has entered her office building (which she now has) and walks into her office as if she were at work (because she now is).

Another client created a morning and evening routine where she does a few things that she loves to do thereby giving herself “me time” before work and before re-entering her life as a wife and mother.

Your action: create simple rules and routines to keep you focused and grounded.

Keep flexibility top of mind.

Flexibility defined as noun is: the quality of bending easily without breaking.

Stop melt downs and freak-outs before they happen. Even though you may have planned your day precisely; stuff happens.

• The kids decided to have a loud “did not” “did too” discussion just as your Zoom meeting with your team begins.
• Your dogs bark at the moment inspiration struck and you want to write down your thoughts before they escape.
• You decide to take a break from your work and get distracted by news on the television or by an alert on your phone.

When you can be flexible no matter what has or is happening, you create a place where you are present and better able to handle what it is you need to handle at the exact moment.

You also build resilience so getting back into your schedule is much easier.

A strategy I use and that I teach my clients is to focus on being present.  When something catches me off guard and I find myself getting annoyed or worse, I ask myself out loud “what matters most right now?”

And since I’ve already defined that for myself, it is easier for me to be flexible rather than have it escalate into a meltdown.

Your action: Define for yourself what is most important to you right now.  And then when you are feeling as if everything is going wrong, ask yourself out loud:

What matters most right now?

It has the power to pull you back into your present moment which will allow you to determine your state of mind and how you want to proceed.

Create a schedule that feels good.

This is probably more in line with what you thought I was going to say at first.

And yes, it is important. However, I feel that it’s only important after you have done the above.

You may not be able to keep the same schedule that you have when you go into the office, when your kids are in school and your spouse/partner isn’t underfoot.

It is key to your success that you structure your day. A schedule is the number one tool for you to use during this time where lots of things are up in the air.

If you followed the Productivity Actions series that I did in February to help you to be more productive, make more money and reach the successes you want for yourself you learned how to use Time Containers. 

On Productivity Action Day 1 you determined exactly how much time you had for work, that is a container. Then you got crystal clear on what you did and exactly how much time it took you to do things, that is another container.

You need to know the actions you specifically do for your business and your life. Such as your admin work, marketing, client work, focus time, think time, and so on.

If you didn’t follow along or take any actions, I suggest you do that right now. Below in the resources section are the links for the entire series.

Begin with Day 1 and work your way down. Each are short and easy to do. The actions will help you create a schedule that feels good to you and you’ll set yourself up for ultimate success working from home.

Your action: Do the Productivity Actions and create a schedule that feels good to you.

Resources for you.

• Productivity Action Links:

1. Determine What You Have To Work With
2. Take Inventory
3. Estimate Your Time
4. Create Clarity
5. Establish Your Revenue Generating Activities (RGAs) and Your Non-Revenue Generating Activities (NRGAs)
6. Calculate Time Precisely
7. Use Your Time Accurately
8. Prioritization
9. Think Tank Time
10. Check In
11. Do ONE Thing
12. Mind Your Mindset
13. Contain Your Time
14. Eliminate Time Wasters
15. Ignore the Bright Shiny Objects
16. Find Your Motivation
17. Choose the Right Tool
18. Create a Supportive Environment
19. Ask for Support
20. Celebrate Your Productivity

• Insights Group’s Article: Mental Health Checklist
• Forbes Article: Corona Virus Have You Working Remotely? 5 Tips To Work From Home
• Day Designer Article: 34  Self-Care Tips When Staying Safe at Home

Need help?

If you are still struggling to figure this whole work from home thing out, I offer a free 30 minute complimentary session. Click here to schedule now. I’ll help you create an amazing work from home schedule the truly has you being successful!