If you’ve been working from home for some time now, you understand both the ups and downs of having a home-based business. With your children’s schedules, family obligations, and personal responsibilities, it can take some serious self-discipline to stay on task and fulfill work deadlines. The flexibility a work-at-home job offers allows you to work at your own pace and make your own schedule. This gives you the freedom to be available for those family and personal events you’ve always wanted to attend. In today’s blog post, we’ll explore the rest of the eight ways to successfully work from home.
5. Set Ground Rules
For those who do still have children at home, this is vitally important. You need to set clear and defined ground rules for when work time begins and ends. Below are some strategies the team at VA Biz Lady has implemented to accomplish this:
- Meet together as a family to discuss the expectations of your business.
- Post a clear schedule of your at-home office hours.
- Hire a nanny or babysitter to take care of younger children during work hours.
- Plan organized activities or allow special privileges, such as tablet or TV time, during your office hours.
6. Avoid Distractions
This one right here can be tough. Setting ground rules with your family can help tremendously. You need to decide what distractions you should avoid in order to get your work done. For some people, it helps to play music or listen to the TV in the background. For others, complete silence in a quiet room is the best option. Whatever the distractions, set up a plan with boundaries to keep yourself motivated and on task, so you can run a successful virtual assistant business.
7. Use a Timer
Using a timer can offer boundaries, especially when you still have children at home or deal with several distractions. Our recommendation is to set a timer for 90 minutes of work and then 10-15 minutes for a break. Follow this schedule and you’ll be amazed at how much you can get accomplished.
8. Be Purposeful With Interactions
Many people leave this tip out often but it may just be the most essential tip you’ll hear today. When you’re working from home, either alone most of the day, or with children surrounding you 24/7, you need to be extremely purposeful with social interactions. Although working from home offers so many benefits, the #1 complaint we hear at VA Biz Lady is how lonely it can be. So be sure to plan a time for coffee with a friend once a week. Schedule a monthly date night with your spouse. Plan to take your kids to the park a few times each week. Actively seek out new connections with others who also work from home.
Your Source for Support & Encouragement
We began VA Biz Lady as a means for supporting and encouraging those who wish to begin a virtual assistant business. By offering several free and affordable resources, we’re able to do just that. Be sure to check out our free business forms, new client welcome packet, and WordPress training videos.