Many people ask how I can possibly work from home. Don’t I just do everything but work? Well, kinda, but here is how working from home works for me. I love my job. Not kidding. Like I live my job. If I am not working on clients, I am working on personal sites and blogs. It just makes for one continuous day for me. I leave to go do yoga, pay bills, have lunch, client meetings and the like. But the freedom is that if I am having an off day, I make up for it on the weekend. Everything I do is to further the work of my sites or those of my clients, so in essence I am always working.
In that light, here are a few of my tricks for staying on task.
1. Have a good workspace.
I have a few to be truthful, I have a few of them and working on one in particular.Right now, the kitchen table and my bed.The bed is always fun, but can be … too restful.
The idea here is to have a space that is free from clutter, away from the TV, etc. Be sure you have a comfy chair. My current favorite helps me multitask with workouts. It’s the Gaiam Balance Ball Chair. Weird looking huh? It’s a balance ball and a chair with wheels. Srsly awesome. The last workplace I was in, it got passed around everyone loved it so much. No kidding.
2. Keep a List of Projects
No matter how sidetracked you get (we all have off days), having a list of projects to be completed helps. Keep it updated and cross off what you have done. I utilize a paper system (blasphemy I know) and my email inbox. If I haven’t done it, it stays in the inbox. When I am done, it’s filed. Keeps me up to date.
3. Group Outtings
Grocery shopping, working out, car service, client meetings. What’s the similarity? They are all done best in the middle of the day. Think about it, everyone else is working. (Giggle) Just be sure to do all your items at once, saves gas and time.
4. Bluetooth
I hate using them normally (I should when driving, but …) but when I am doing client calls, they are a god send. Since most of us don’t have hands-free sets at home, a bluetooth is a necessity when working from home. I realized this recently when trying to take notes during client calls. Yes, I am slow sometimes. It needed a new battery, but works wonders now!
So don’t think you can’t work from home. You can. Especially as an SEO, we can work from anywhere. Just keep on task and you are solid. Makes work more fun and “errands” easier to do.
7 Comments
Add Yours →Work MUST be done away from bed and having a To Do list is key to get any work done when at home.
As well making sure you have reminders set in Outlook as well synced to your phone.
,Michael Martin
Always leave the house to get fresh perspectives. I love taking a laptop to a local coffee shop, open work space or just outside to enjoy working in a new environment. Sometimes that’s where I find the best ideas.
Very true! It’s amazing what you can get done from Starbucks. Seriously awesome. Good tip as well. 🙂
Hi, Kate. Great post, just what I needed. Looking forward to start working from home.
todo:
[] make good workspace
[] buy bluetooth
I’ve been working from home for almost a year now, and there are a few things that I have learned as well…
– Make sure you have “office hours” or you will find yourself answering your office line at 9pm, and neglecting your family and friends. It’s fine to work outside those hours, but don’t let anyone else know that.
– If you get into a slump, get out of the house and to a starbucks or panera or whatever. The change of scenery does wonders for productivity.
– If you are working from a home where other people live (like my 2 kids and wife) make sure you can be separate enough that you won’t be tempted to play instead of work (and that’s as much for them as for you.)
– Learn to turn off twitter and IM and such if you need to focus.
– Give it some time. I found that it took a while for me to get in my groove where I didn’t feel alone and bored all the time. Find what works for you
– Lastly – take advantage of the chance to completely set your own schedule! It likely won’t be like that for the rest of your career, so you should live it up while you can.
That’s all I can think of for now. 🙂
Self discipline and motivation are key factors to successfully working from home and getting things done. The to do list definitely helps me out a lot! I personally must have a cut off time at the end of the day to transition into relaxation and “leave” work until the next day.
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