A guest post from Amy Collett
There are a ton of articles out there with advice on how to stay productive at home. However, these can fall a little flat for people running a home-based business. After all, at the root of most “work from home effectively” pieces is that someone else is holding you accountable. A boss, a manager, a project deadline; these external motivators are built into working for someone else. When you work for yourself, all your motivation has to come from you, and that means taking a slightly different approach to productivity.
Running a successful business at home is a challenge, but it’s one you can manage with the right techniques, not to mention, the right allies. XL Consulting Group is proud to offer some of the best advice and resources a business owner needs to thrive. Here are some tips tailored for the remote worker who has no one to answer to but themselves: These tips on how to stay productive at home will change your life!
Our Tips on How To Stay Productive
Building on the Basics
As a business owner, you need to take that basic remote work advice and tailor it to your needs, specifically. For example, you may have read to avoid social media during work hours. This isn’t always possible for business owners. More often than not, staying abreast of your industry’s social media trends and keeping your company relevant online is part of your day to day job.
In this case, you should take the spirit of the advice, and tweak it to fit your needs. Set your business accounts up through a social media manager such as HootSuite or Tweetdeck. Build social media work into your daily checklist, and once it’s knocked out, leave it be. Don’t put your personal accounts into the media managers, and avoid checking your own social media until your workday is over.
You can apply this same principle to nearly any remote productivity advice you find. There’s always a useful nugget of truth in there, even if the specifics aren’t applicable to your work. Focus on the core meaning and strategize a way to apply that to your work routine.
Stay Organized
Business owners must be organized; remote workers must be organized. When you combine the two, keeping your day on track becomes more important than ever. Again, this comes back to the lack of external motivation when you’re a business owner. No one is there to check up on your progress or remind you of an upcoming due date. It’s all on you to stay on top of things. Use every tool available to you to keep yourself organized and productive.
Remember, different people have different organizational styles, and there is no one-size-fits-all option. If you’re a tactile worker, a physical planner or corkboard organizer might be the best solution. Tech-minded folks may be better suited for apps that can sync between different devices. Alternatively, some people work best when they can bounce their schedule off of someone else. A virtual personal assistant could be a great resource in this case. You can use any of these or a combination, just focus on finding a technique that keeps you on track.
Foster Self-Motivation
Finally, a remote business owner has to be self-motivated. Motivation, however, is a tricky thing. We like to think of it as something that leads to productivity, but it’s actually the opposite. You have to foster motivation through productivity. Excitement is fleeting, but habit has staying power. How to stay productive = motivation.
Consider starting your day with a goals check-in session. Think about what you want to do for the day, and how those actions fit into your wider goals for the week, month, year, and beyond. This is a powerful way to keep yourself on track, especially on days where you’re not feeling it. It teaches you how to push forward, even on those days when it’s not exciting or fulfilling to do so.
Remote business ownership takes dedication and consistency. Remember, however, that these are skills, not traits, and you can build them up like any other skill. Practice good remote productivity habits, and soon you’ll find your entrepreneurship-from-home flow! How to stay productive? You’ve got this!
Photo Credit: Unsplash
If you’re looking for additional ways to increase your productivity and free up time for the big picture, look to XL Consulting Group for help with business planning, marketing strategy, copywriting, website design and coaching. Reach out to us today to get started!
If you liked this article on how to stay productive, you may like:
6 Powerful Tips for using Facebook and Instagram for your Business