You always imagined how freeing it would be to work from home: Setting your own schedule, working in your pajamas, and being close to your family. But if you’ve never worked at home before, then you might be surprised at just how easy it is to get distracted and veer away from your goals.
How do you avoid getting distracted? By using these five tips.
One of the best ways to boost your productivity is by creating a daily schedule or to do list. That way, you know exactly what you need to accomplish before you even turn your computer on for the day.
But here’s the key:
Break your list up into easily manageable steps so that you don’t get overwhelmed. For example, if you need to write a sales letter, then don’t put ‘write a sales letter’ as a task. Instead, break the task up into manageable steps, such as:
- Research competing sites and products.
- Brainstorm headlines.
- Write the opener.
- Create the bullets.
- Write a guarantee.
And so on. You’ll feel much more motivated and productive every time you cross one of those smaller completed items off your list.
If you’re like most marketers, you’ll probably pull long days at times. Even though you enjoy the work, you can’t help but be tired near the end of the day. And that’s why you should do your creative tasks early in the day while your mind is still fresh.
Your “early day” activities might include:
- Product creation.
- Brainstorming.
- Writing sales copy.
- Writing articles and blog posts.
Your late day activities might include less creative tasks such as:
- Fulfilling customer orders.
- Replying to customer requests.
- Posting on forums and social networks.
- Tracking sales campaigns.
- Submitting articles to article directories.
If you’re not working a full day from home, then be sure to actually set aside a specific time you’ll work each day. You should schedule this time just as you would an important appointment, so that you’re not tempted to skip a day’s work to do something else.
But that’s not all. You should also set aside blocks of time as “productivity bursts”. This is where you set an alarm or timer for 15 minutes to 30 minutes.
During this block of time you work nonstop, without interruption. At the end of the block of time you can stretch, refill your beverage, etc. Then reset your timer for another productive block of time.
When you schedule your work time, be sure to tell other household members that you don’t wish to be interrupted. If you have kids, you may have to schedule your work time when they’re in school or asleep.
Here are other tips for reducing distractions:
- Turn off your phone and let the voicemail pick up.
- Check your email once and then close that window so that you aren’t checking it repeatedly.
- Close all other unnecessary browser windows, such as forums, YouTube, etc. (TIP: If you don’t need to be online, then close ALL browser windows or even disconnect from the Net so you’re not tempted to surf.)
Finally, you can increase your daily productivity by getting organized before you start working. Ideally, you should get organized the night before.
Example: If you need to do some reading for research purposes, then put your needed books on your desk and be sure any websites you need to visit are already in your bookmarks.
Working from home is a dream come true for most people. But it can also be a nightmare if you’re not productive. Just follow the five keys above and you’ll see your productivity and income soar!