Working from home can be a very daunting task, but with the right system in place, it can be very successful. I was asked by a friend how I do it, and it turned into a brainstorming session on efficiency. So, here is the interview and brainstorm session! Let’s start with the five most asked and go from there!
Why do you get up so early? I am an empty-nester, no more children to get up for school or practice or ball games. I do have the privilege of watching my grandson a couple of days a week, but I do not have to get up every day at the crack of dawn. If you don’t have to, do it anyway! Schedule your day just as if you were going to the office. I get up, get ready for my day, make my bed and move my “office” out of the “office” and out to the dining room table. I have more room and feel the open space allows me to work more efficiently.
Doesn’t it take a lot of time to move everything? Having a dedicated workspace is essential. Without a dedicated workspace, I find myself wandering without direction. I am an ‘inny’ not an ‘outie’. An ‘inny’ is someone who needs files, planners, papers and such in front of them or they become “out of sight, out of mind.” I also move everything before I go to bed unless I am working late or starting early. Moving everything forces me to work when it is out, and rest when it is not. It’s still our dining room table.
How do you stay on task? When do you take your breaks? I take two main breaks, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. If I have my grandson, they are long and well-planned breaks. For example, If I am working on tasks that are not “time-sensitive,” then I can use my afternoon to entertain him and then work later into the evening. It is also important to make sure you are engaging with others outside of your “office” or home. Spend time outside your home. If I find myself getting tired
Why do you use so many platforms for your agendas?
Planners, Schedules, and the magic of a pencil! I use a paper planner for extra items I need to get done each day. I also have a note pad for Brain Dumping. With so many things going on all the time, it is vital for me to stay on task. I have different set of clients, with different needs at different times. If I stopped what I was doing every time my brain thought of a task, or I received a phone call or e-mail from someone adding another job, I would never get anything done. My Brain-Dumping pad allows me to transfer that information and move back to the task I was working on before the interruption.
With so many clients and all of them being entrepreneurs themselves, they are constantly engaged, constantly moving and always pivoting. They are creative geniuses. Nothing in my planner goes in as ‘permanent’ because I can promise you, it will change. Ideas change, time changes, priorities change. So I always use a pencil!
I use apps, such as Time Station and Basecamp to track my assistants work and other team members. For one of my clients, there are many people on our team that I need to supervise. Basecamp helps me organize their time, details and deadlines more efficiently.
How do you keep everyone happy? Keep a schedule and get everyone on board! To stay focused and highly efficient, I need to make sure everyone understands the rules that apply for working from home.
- I just implemented a no cell phone policy. We have very little time for meetings, and we are busy with tasks from our clients. It is imperative that we do not have any distractions. Keep a tight schedule – our assistants have errand days and office days. Now that is not to say we won’t occasionally have that one -off thing that needs attention, but for the most part, we schedule days that we will be out and we organize them, so we get more done and quickly.
- Personal chatting to a minimum. If I feel we are getting off track, we quickly jump right track on board. Not that we don’t ever allow personal conversations but keeping them to a minimum helps us stay the course. It is easier to chat at the dining room table than in a board or meeting room.
- There are ‘no work’ days. That means we will not discuss work when visiting personally and I will not allow work to interfere with my personal life.
Working from home can be intimidating, and it can get away from you but keeping yourself focused, determined and applying a few simple rules for yourself and others can create an extremely productive work environment.