When you decided to work for yourself, was one of the main influences in making your decision to go it alone, that you could work from home?
Was the idea appealing to be able to get up each day, cut out your commute and create your own work space in your own surroundings?
For many entrepreneurs, the opportunity of working from home is great to begin with, however, it can have a downside as many people start to find themselves isolated and lacking in human conversation and contact. This in turn can have quite the impact on productivity and worryingly your state of mind, so it’s important to address the issue to make sure that you continue to enjoy being your own boss, working from your desired location and of course continue to grow your business.
We thought we would share with you a few of our ideas on how you can make sure that you get a great balance to your working day and keep motivation going when it comes to working from home.
Co-working space – There are many places that offer co-working space. Somewhere that you can have your own ‘hot desk’ so that you can have a change of scenery, be surrounded by other people and of course, create opportunities for networking. Whether you utilise such a space for one or two days a week or a month, this is a great way to get the best of both worlds. If you find you are getting a little cabin fever from your home office, shared work space could be exactly what you need.
Coffee shops – Most of these have wi-fi, so why not take advantage of a professional latte, a little atmosphere and somewhere to do a little work. Of course, you need to concentrate so somewhere that’s too busy just won’t do, but if you look around, you are sure to find some great spots where many people tend to have the same idea. Do check out a VPN if you do not have your own wifi access – public wifi is not advisable!
Weekly online meetings with other remote workers – Whether you use Skype, Google Hangouts or another great piece of communication software, make sure you schedule in some time to talk to those who are in the same position as you. Grab a coffee, get on a call and have some conversation time. It’s great to talk to others in the same situation because you can inspire and motivate each other. Make it a regular occurrence and something to look forward to.
Use the power of social media to be sociable – Okay, so this one can be a little bit of a time suck if we’re not careful, but if we’re disciplined, this is a great way to connect with the outside world and what’s going on. Join groups where you can get accountable or find inspiration. Social media is not just a powerful marketing tool, but a powerful tool for your sanity if you’re feeling as though your climbing the walls through lack of interaction.
Get booked onto some events – Getting out is good for the mindset, so why not book yourself to attend some networking events or courses. This way you’re still working on your business but you get a change of scenery and an opportunity to talk to others. Is there a regular local breakfast group? Perhaps you could attend a training course to improve on your skill set?
Working from home is what you make of it. So make it work for you!
Check out this article which talks about changing attitudes and behaviours in 2021 (the Pandemic being a major influence) amongst other things.
Employing staff is a whole new ball game with its own set of rules. Working with a VA is an option that a great many business people are turning to. Check out my book on How to Hire a Virtual Assistant. Available on Amazon by clicking here
