Managing your business from home

Eight things you can improve right away!

Working from home has some major advantages, for instance, being there when the kids arrive back from school. But it can provide distracting disadvantages…

Here are some tips to help you get through the day:

Set yourself a daily goal Without a clear focus, it’s easy to succumb to distractions.
Set targets for each day in advance Decide what you’ll do; then do it.
Worst first To defeat procrastination learn to tackle your most unpleasant task first thing in the morning instead of delaying it until later in the day. This small victory will set the tone for a very productive day. You can turn this one on its head, by saving your most favoured task until last!
Peak times Identify your peak cycles of productivity, and schedule your most important tasks for those times. Work on minor tasks during your non-peak times.
Timeboxing Give yourself a fixed time period, like 30 minutes, to make a dent in a task. Don’t worry about how far you get. Just put in the time.
Agendas If you have to attend meetings then provide clear written agendas to participants in advance. This greatly improves focus and efficiency. You can use it for phone calls too.
Ready-fire-aim! Beat delay by taking action immediately after setting a goal, even if the action isn’t perfectly planned. You can always adjust course along the way.
Deadline Set a deadline for task completion, and use it as a focal point to stay on track.
Brownie points Don't forget to reward yourself when you have met your goals: planned and timed breaks help you to relax and focus.