I haven't always been a stay-at-home mom. Well, I stayed at home more then I went to work because my husband wanted me to be with the kids instead of them growing up in day care centers and knowing somebody else more then they knew their own mother. While working I learned that I didn't want to actually go in to work and work a 9 to 5. I wanted to be in the comfort of my own home watching my little ones grow up and also be able to do what I want to do when I want to do it, without anyone saying crap about it LOL. I would frequently talk with other moms about my desire to be a stay-at-home mom. The usual response I would receive was, "I would stay home in a minute if I could afford it".
Tips for Staying Productive and Sane While Working From Home
1. Define your spaces; separate work from home. Have a room dedicated to working. Don’t do it wherever you happen to be. Set aside some space, preferably a room (it doesn’t have to be big) to be your workspace. That way, when you enter it, you know consciously what you’re there to do: go to work. It changes the state of mind from “I’m at home” to “I’m at work”.
2. Set regular hours, and stick to the schedule.Important
3. Don’t stay in pajamas. Instead, have breakfast, have a shower, get dressed like you going to work . Then make a list of sensible tasks for the day and get started.
4. Close the door. It’ll be very easy to leave the door to whatever room or space you set apart to be your workplace open. Don’t do it. If the door is open, that represents something to you, and to your family. To you, it represents the idea that if it’s a bit tough, or you don’t feel like working today, you don’t have to. To your family, it represents the idea that Dad is around, and I can go and talk to him.
5. Keep your desk and general work area tidy. A tidy workspace helps keep a tidy mind, which helps make your day more productive.
6. Turn off your cell phone when you need to work without distraction. Turn off IM and email notifications too.
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7. Don’t stop working if it’s a hard day. There’ll be times when you haven’t got any ideas, or just don’t feel productive. Train yourself to do some work anyway. It’s a short fall from “It’s just not happening at the moment” to “It’s a bit tough, I’ll stop for the day”. Next thing you know, you never seem to get anything done.
8. Keep three lists of three. The first list has three things you will do today. The second is three things you’d like to get done, but aren’t essential. The third is three things that need to be done at some point. That way, when you’ve trogged through your days work, you don’t end up sitting twiddling your thumbs.
9. Start the day properly. Have a good breakfast, spend some time alone to just sit and do whatever. Relax, let your mind wonder. Pray. Just make sure that your mind isn’t in the “I hate working” frame of mind.
10. Have a good chair. Mesh backed ones, or good comfy leather perhaps. It’s worth spending some money on.I got my computer chair from Home Depot for $100.00
11. Keep a notepad and pencil nearby. Jot down ideas for blog posts, projects, anything that springs to mind. Then have a pin board to stick them on. Look at it twice a week to refresh your mind of things that could be done sometime. Some of the best work you’ll ever do will come from random bits of inspiration.
12. Give yourself breaks. Don’t be locked in the room all the time. For every hour you work, have a 15-30 minute break. Give your mind time to digest what it’s just done, then come back. You’ll improve the quality of what you produce a hundredfold.
13. Don’t go back to work when you’ve finished. Had a great idea for a post? Fantastic, write down the basics on a note, and pin it up.
14. Schedule, if possible, around your natural schedule. Some people peak in the morning, others in the afternoon, still others at the witching hour.
15. Have a pint of water by your desk all the time. Try and work up to drinking a few pints a day, if you don’t already.
16. Be careful what music you listen to while you work. Music, TV, the weather… Just about everything will influence your mood. Some you can’t change, some you can. Make sure that you surround yourself with things that will give you the best frame of mind for whatever you’re about to do.
17. No turning on the computer for a quick email check or to do 1 little thing until you’ve gotten “ready for work” as mentioned above. The nuance is if you have nowhere to be, that 1 little thing leads to showering at 2 in the afternoon with a splitting headache because you’ve forgotten to eat etc.
18. Know when to stop. Don’t work late into the night. Set defined times when you’re going to work, and then when it passes, stop. You can have a bit of leeway here, but make sure that you don’t
19. Don’t work an eight hour day. One reader works about 5 hours, in four blocks of an hour, with a 20 minute gap between each. If you do more than that, your attention might start to wonder, you’ll be restless and your work won’t have it’s normal level of quality.
20. Designate certain days for certain work. For example: file everything on Friday afternoon, no later than Saturday morning. This allows you to walk out of your office for your “weekend” without feeling like you left work unfinished.
21. Set boundaries for those around you as well. Schedule your work time and make sure the kids and spouse know that you are unavailable for playing, chores, etc. during this time.
22. Sound Canceling Headphones. Seriously useful if you have KIDS like me
23. Pay attention and crunch numbers with your accounts regularly. You are less inclined to watch television when you realise how much it can cost you to mess around. Put a reminder that “No work = No Money”.
24. Have a good lunch. One readers suggested that something with good carb content works best. Puts you in the mood for the second half of the day.
25. Set online times. You don’t always need to be accessible for chit chat. This may be more applicable to telecommuters than the self-employed.
26. Don’t allow work to consume your life. . Make sure you set limits for the amount of time you will work.
27. Make time for people. When people ask, give them what you can. Respond in some way to every email. It doesn’t matter how long it takes you to get around to it. You don’t have to reply that day. Just make sure you do. It matters.
28. Say thank you a lot. Figure out who the people who have helped you and your blog (or your business) the most. If you’re a blogger, that’s the readers, not the people who gave you mentions on their big blogs. The people who have given their time and energy to helping you get where you are. You owe your life from this point on to them. Make sure they know you’re greatful.
29. Be grateful you’re working from home and not in some cubicle! That gratitude will motivate you to work harder, so you can continue to work from home.
Tips for Staying Productive and Sane While Working From Home
1. Define your spaces; separate work from home. Have a room dedicated to working. Don’t do it wherever you happen to be. Set aside some space, preferably a room (it doesn’t have to be big) to be your workspace. That way, when you enter it, you know consciously what you’re there to do: go to work. It changes the state of mind from “I’m at home” to “I’m at work”.
2. Set regular hours, and stick to the schedule.Important
3. Don’t stay in pajamas. Instead, have breakfast, have a shower, get dressed like you going to work . Then make a list of sensible tasks for the day and get started.
4. Close the door. It’ll be very easy to leave the door to whatever room or space you set apart to be your workplace open. Don’t do it. If the door is open, that represents something to you, and to your family. To you, it represents the idea that if it’s a bit tough, or you don’t feel like working today, you don’t have to. To your family, it represents the idea that Dad is around, and I can go and talk to him.
5. Keep your desk and general work area tidy. A tidy workspace helps keep a tidy mind, which helps make your day more productive.
6. Turn off your cell phone when you need to work without distraction. Turn off IM and email notifications too.
.
7. Don’t stop working if it’s a hard day. There’ll be times when you haven’t got any ideas, or just don’t feel productive. Train yourself to do some work anyway. It’s a short fall from “It’s just not happening at the moment” to “It’s a bit tough, I’ll stop for the day”. Next thing you know, you never seem to get anything done.
8. Keep three lists of three. The first list has three things you will do today. The second is three things you’d like to get done, but aren’t essential. The third is three things that need to be done at some point. That way, when you’ve trogged through your days work, you don’t end up sitting twiddling your thumbs.
9. Start the day properly. Have a good breakfast, spend some time alone to just sit and do whatever. Relax, let your mind wonder. Pray. Just make sure that your mind isn’t in the “I hate working” frame of mind.
10. Have a good chair. Mesh backed ones, or good comfy leather perhaps. It’s worth spending some money on.I got my computer chair from Home Depot for $100.00
11. Keep a notepad and pencil nearby. Jot down ideas for blog posts, projects, anything that springs to mind. Then have a pin board to stick them on. Look at it twice a week to refresh your mind of things that could be done sometime. Some of the best work you’ll ever do will come from random bits of inspiration.
12. Give yourself breaks. Don’t be locked in the room all the time. For every hour you work, have a 15-30 minute break. Give your mind time to digest what it’s just done, then come back. You’ll improve the quality of what you produce a hundredfold.
13. Don’t go back to work when you’ve finished. Had a great idea for a post? Fantastic, write down the basics on a note, and pin it up.
14. Schedule, if possible, around your natural schedule. Some people peak in the morning, others in the afternoon, still others at the witching hour.
15. Have a pint of water by your desk all the time. Try and work up to drinking a few pints a day, if you don’t already.
16. Be careful what music you listen to while you work. Music, TV, the weather… Just about everything will influence your mood. Some you can’t change, some you can. Make sure that you surround yourself with things that will give you the best frame of mind for whatever you’re about to do.
17. No turning on the computer for a quick email check or to do 1 little thing until you’ve gotten “ready for work” as mentioned above. The nuance is if you have nowhere to be, that 1 little thing leads to showering at 2 in the afternoon with a splitting headache because you’ve forgotten to eat etc.
18. Know when to stop. Don’t work late into the night. Set defined times when you’re going to work, and then when it passes, stop. You can have a bit of leeway here, but make sure that you don’t
19. Don’t work an eight hour day. One reader works about 5 hours, in four blocks of an hour, with a 20 minute gap between each. If you do more than that, your attention might start to wonder, you’ll be restless and your work won’t have it’s normal level of quality.
20. Designate certain days for certain work. For example: file everything on Friday afternoon, no later than Saturday morning. This allows you to walk out of your office for your “weekend” without feeling like you left work unfinished.
21. Set boundaries for those around you as well. Schedule your work time and make sure the kids and spouse know that you are unavailable for playing, chores, etc. during this time.
22. Sound Canceling Headphones. Seriously useful if you have KIDS like me
23. Pay attention and crunch numbers with your accounts regularly. You are less inclined to watch television when you realise how much it can cost you to mess around. Put a reminder that “No work = No Money”.
24. Have a good lunch. One readers suggested that something with good carb content works best. Puts you in the mood for the second half of the day.
25. Set online times. You don’t always need to be accessible for chit chat. This may be more applicable to telecommuters than the self-employed.
26. Don’t allow work to consume your life. . Make sure you set limits for the amount of time you will work.
27. Make time for people. When people ask, give them what you can. Respond in some way to every email. It doesn’t matter how long it takes you to get around to it. You don’t have to reply that day. Just make sure you do. It matters.
28. Say thank you a lot. Figure out who the people who have helped you and your blog (or your business) the most. If you’re a blogger, that’s the readers, not the people who gave you mentions on their big blogs. The people who have given their time and energy to helping you get where you are. You owe your life from this point on to them. Make sure they know you’re greatful.
29. Be grateful you’re working from home and not in some cubicle! That gratitude will motivate you to work harder, so you can continue to work from home.
