Wine at 10am is not acceptable…even when you are your own boss.
It seems like every time I turn on the news there is a new story about how the job rate is still down (boooo) but the rise of freelancers and entrepreneurs is up (yayyyyy!) And those freelance and entrepreneurs (like moi) quite often work from home. Sometimes out of necessity, sometimes for the sheer joy of it, and sometimes a little of both.
With anything, there are down sides and up sides. In the case of working from your own abode, the pros and cons can easily fall into both categories. Like this:
And since I’m never one to simply rant and rave and never offer up a solution or system, here’s a few tips to help you in the quest for joy while working from home:
Set a Schedule. “But, Val, my kiddo is in pre-school and only goes three days a week. How can I keep a regular schedule?” Look, it doesn’t have to be “regular”, Nancy. Work when you work: after bedtime, from 6a-2p, the good ol’ 9a-5p, whatever works for you and your biz. Just keep those hours, tell your peeps, and stick to it. And then be flexible.
Related reading: The Secret To A Stress Free Week
Turn Your Phone Off. Not your business phone, your personal calls. You can do everything you need for your biz from one phone, just click friends and family over to voicemail during those work hours. Or get a separate phone line…it makes those bills easier come tax time. (bonus tip #1: plug in numbers from your clients and push all of those unknown numbers to voicemail. It’s easy to get distracted by an unknown caller)
Get dressed. Like you work somewhere else. Showering and getting dressed are crucial to life outside of your house. Even an hour or two in your jammies or sweats can be incredibly unproductive. Put clothes on and get to work. (bonus tip #2: putting shoes on makes you really feel like you are at work. try it.)
Develop “co-workers”. There are people who do what you do, all over the world. And probably even right in your own city. Find them on social media, drop them a line, buy them a cup of coffee, and make friends. Working by yourself can get lonely (especially if you do something that is fairly solitary work) so network and build yourself a little virtual office.
Related reading: 11 Perfectly Introverted Ways to Make Friends As An Adult
Know this and share it: You work from home. You don’t hang out at home all day. I’m pretty sure that if I had a dollar for every time someone asked me “What are you up to today?” (Answer is: “Ummmm….. working.”) I would have hit that 6 figure mark by now. If you, or anyone else, expects you to build a business and brand you are proud of, do the laundry and the cleaning, have dinner on the table, and all of your sanity in tact, they (or you) are certifiable. You may be awesome, but you’ve got to let some things go.
Get help. This includes everything from hiring a nanny or mother’s helper, to taking the dog to daycare, to bringing people onto your team who love to do what you hate to do. Your business (and that aforementioned sanity) will thank you for it.
Related reading: 3 Steps To Get Yourself Ready To Hire A Team
How To Afford Hiring And Time Off
Never give in. Because that afternoon on the couch watching the Food Network is a slippery slope to a week of Netflix in your pajamas which becomes months of “where are all of the clients who want to pay me to do absolutely nothing?” which, in turn, becomes a failed (or well on it’s way to failed) business, which is just another squashed dream and another tick on that joblessness list instead of the entrepreneur list. And that entrepreneur list is SUCH a better list to be on. 100%.
And then, when the work day is done, have that glass of wine. Because more work will be there tomorrow and the next day. And owning your own business is about enjoying it and reveling in the work that is there. Raise a glass and toast your success on the regular. You deserve it.
