Working from home for most people sounds like a dream come true. You can make your own schedule, work when you want, and work how you want. But when you work from home, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with your schedule. You can feel out of control without having a routine. When you are your own boss, it can be hard to balance your work life and your personal life.

Typical day in a work-from-home life: All you want to do is sleep in. You say to yourself, “I have a flexible schedule, It’s okay.” But it’s not. Because you need to make money! And you don’t make money when you’re sleeping! Wake up early, get things done, be motivated, and stay on schedule. You will be successful working from home! After reading this article, you are going to be so motivated. (Be prepared.)

HAVE A SCHEDULE WORKING AT HOME

When you work at home, it can be easy to sleep in until 10 o’clock, not fix your hair, stay in your pajamas, and procrastinate. Then it’s noon and you are making another pot of coffee hoping that helps, then you find everything else that needs to be done other than work. Then yay! Work day is over and it’s time for dinner and sleep. You know you need to work, but you’re tired. That’s called procrastinating! Having a schedule will fix that. Planning out every hour helps many people. I plan out my day with a planner.

GET A PLANNER

This will change the way you manage your days. I have tried a couple different planners and this is my favorite one so far. I bought it off amazon for only $20! Buy it HERE. There are so many different prints you can buy! (I’m loving this gold marble one!) I love the $20 version of this planner because it has a monthly vision and also an area where you break down your goals for the month. The month and week views are amazingly designed. I love it! 

WRITE LISTS

Lists work. Every night before you go to bed, grab your planner and fill in your schedule for the next day. You can even have a different pad of paper for your TO DO list. If you think you would stay organized better electronically, get an app on your phone or tablet.

SCHEDULE YOUR DAY

START EARLY

What helps me the most is waking up early. The earlier I wake up, the earlier I am in my office working.  This is an important part of your day. Set a time to wake up and set fifteen alarms if you need to. Don’t sleep in. The best way to have a schedule working from home is to wake up at the same time every day. Have a goal time of what time you “have to be at work”.

MAKE YOUR BED

Making your bed is the best reminder that sleep time is over. You will grow to love the mornings. Mornings are a time when you can get things done you wouldn’t want to do later in the day. You can even set a 5 minute timer for a speed clean around the house. Get creative about how you can spend your morning hours. The faster you get going in the day, the more productive you will be and the better you will feel.

EAT BREAKFAST

Eating breakfast first thing will keep you from stopping an hour in working to eat. If you don’t eat breakfast, take this time to sit outside drinking your coffee. Or prep a couple snacks for your day. My favorite go-to snacks are grapes, pretzels, almonds, chips and salsa, and protein shakes.

GET READY

Get ready for the day. Get dressed, put on makeup, and fix your hair. Even if you’re changing into classy comfy pants and a tee shirt, changing clothes and putting on a little makeup will make you feel more productive. Get ready right when you wake up.

HAVE A GOAL TIME TO START WORKING

Have a goal time to be in your office to start working. Everybody’s mornings are different. Yours might be: Wake up at 6:30, Coffee & breakfast at 6:45, Clean the kitchen at 7:15, Get ready at 7:30, Be in office working at 8. Having every hour of your morning planned will help you from laying in bed on your iPad all morning.

DON’T FORGET BREAKS

Breaks are an important part in your day. They don’t have to be long breaks. Just to break up the time you are in your office. 10 minute breaks can be to refill your coffee, switch the laundry, start a crock pot for dinner, or just sit outside and enjoy the birds chirping. Set a timer on your phone or tablet so you know when to get back to work. You can also get out of the house and run an errand, take a walk, or go to a coffee shop to work.

GET INSPIRED WHEN TIRED

About 3 o’clock I start to get very tired. All I want to do is sit down and relax. But I still have 2 hours to go! First thing I do is make a pot of coffee. If you aren’t a coffee person, make a chia latte or a protein shake. Eating a snack will help, too. Because food is fuel! (And coffee is fuel, too. ?) Another way I get inspired is to read about success stories about making money from home. After a short break and a cup of coffee, I’m ready to get back to it. So when you’re tired, get inspired!

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TIPS

SET DEADLINES

PRIORITIZE TASKS

REMOVE DISTRACTIONS 

KEEP YOUR MIND FRESH

TAKE BREAKS

SET REMINDERS

DON’T BE AFRAID TO SAY NO

GET MORE ORGANIZED 

KEEP YOUR WORKSPACE CLEAN

GET IN A ROUTINE

GET INSPIRED WHEN TIRED

STAY MOTIVATED 

SET GOALS & STICK WITH THEM

How do you stay productive throughout the day?

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