As I said in my previous post, working from home, whether as an entrepreneur, freelancer or employee/telecommuter can be one of the best, most effective, most liberating gigs around.
Before moving out of my home office, I called home “my office” and my office “home” over five years. I managed to be incredibly productive and growth-oriented by following these rules every single day:
- Dress for success. I never started the day or sat at my desk in my PJs. I always dressed as if I were going into a public office or a client meeting. Always.
- Don’t have the “home” mentality during business hours. There is never a shortage of things to do at home, from laundry to making dinner to picking up in the bedrooms to…well, you get the point. I made it a rule to never even start any of those never-ending tasks because I would never stop if I were to start.
- This leads me to: Set a schedule and stick to it. You work certain hours and then you close the door and become the “home you” during the others hours. (And yes, you must have an office that is a separate space with its own door.)
- Get out. Yes, get out. Just because you work at home and at home doesn’t mean you should become a “shut in.” This was always tough for me because I do tend to have that “cave dweller” mentality. Schedule and attend lunches and meetings and networking events that will keep you in circulation. You’ll also find that getting out will clear your head and help you be more effective when you’re back at work.
