Figuring out how to make my days the most productive they can be is something I continue to work to improve. I wanted to share what I do now to successfully work from home.
Get Super Clear
I try to make sure I start each day, week, month, year by getting really clear about what I want to accomplish. I’m obsessed with fresh starts, and I could talk about it all the time. I love figuring out what I need to do, and then tackle it.
Being able to work from home effectively really comes from knowing what you want and need to get done every day for your goals and dreams.
Know Your Goals
First, before you can have any clarity around your day to day tasks, you need to know what you’re working towards. You have to have a goal to know what will move your business forward. It’s essential to plan so you don’t get lost in your to-do list.
Break It Down
Once you have the goal you want to break it down completely. Figure out all the major steps it takes to get there. Then place them in the correct order for what needs to be done. This allows you to work on your goal in chunks.
Plan the One Thing
Each day determine the one major thing you need to do to move towards your goal. I know so many people say three, but trust me when you’re short on time this works so much better.
Create a Schedule
Build Routines
I’m embarrassed to admit it but having established routines in my business and working on goals used to really throw me. I really didn’t know how to get it all done. The issue was I didn’t have established routines in my business.
I definitely had to do lists for what I know needed to get done, but I would completely stop doing the day to day routines to work on a major project. Until I listed and followed all my set biz routines! This was a game changer. Then I could more strategically use my time.
Block Schedule
Want to feel like you have more time? Try block scheduling your day. I have a general template for the week for how I plan to use my time. I have chunks of time blocked to together to work on different aspects of my business (i.e. content, client work, routines, etc.).
Batch Tasks
As much as possible I try to make sure that I do like tasks at the same time. I create all of the blog posts for the month in one week. I do social media next. If I have client work I try to dedicate time to just editing or finishing galleries. I set aside time for administrative tasks, and I try to respond to emails only twice a day.
Set Boundaries
Oh friends, this one is the hardest as a mom. I really want to be present 100% of the time for my kiddos, but since I am actually running a business I to have work hours. The best way though to respect our time is to let them know when I have work hours, and not work outside of when I say I’ll be working.
Tweak and Repeat
Check-ins are an essential part of making sure your work from home system is working for you. Like I said earlier I like to make sure that I know what I need to do at the beginning of each day, month, and week. During this time I figure out what I need to do for my business and life, but I also make sure to look at what I need to do differently. I focus on this mostly at the beginning of the month when I look at all my biz stats. Once I have an idea of how things went I can better figure out how to move forward.