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May 26, 2010 By Jennifer Gallaher - VAbyJen Leave a Comment

Staying Focused While Working From Home

Working from home is a decision made more out of necessity these days than a luxury or convenience.  However, the same rules still apply when it comes to professionalism.  Just because you are working from home doesn’t mean you can be lackadaisical about your work, nor does it mean you should hole yourself off completely from the rest of the world in order to get client projects done. 

So let’s be honest with ourselves.  We all wear additional hats during the day along with our wonderful VA one.  The conflict comes in when other distractions in our lives interrupt our workflow.  So how on earth can we ever get focused, much less, stay focused?  Well, I’ve found some wonderfully simple tips that I would like to share with you.

  • Start working at the same time – Treat your work-at-home business as if you were still in a traditional office environment.  Establishing a set start and stop time for work will not only inform your clients of your availability, but help keep you on task for the day.  There will be those days, however, when you may have to start at a later time because of a child’s doctor appointment, or what have you, but consistency is still key, here.
  • Establish a schedule – Whether you are only available pn certain days of the week or certain hours of each day, your schedule should be established.  This not only lets your clients know when you are available, but it will help you distinguish between work time and family/play time, thereby establishing a more balanced life.
  • Limit distractions – Yes, this does include neighbors, friends and your adorable kids.  In order to have a successful work-at-home business, you do need to set boundaries and that should include when your children/significant other can interrupt you during your set work hours.
  • Plan ahead – Not only do you have to take into account your work schedule, but since you work from home, you need to account from your personal/family’s schedule, as well.  This may seem like a daunting task, but I promise you, with a bit of planning, things will start running smoother.
  • Take breaks – Get up from your desk and walk away!  Focus on something else for at least 15 minutes to get your eyes and mind readjusted.  Take a short walk outside and get some fresh air, it’ll do wonders for your creativity.
  • Focus on objectives – Get clear instructions and timelines from your clients before beginning a project so you know which direction you need to be going and how long a project should take.
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What tips have you found that work for keeping you focused?  We would love to hear them!

Filed Under: Learning By Example, Work at Home Tagged With: Stay Focused, time management

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