5 Tips to Make the Most of Working From Home

October marks National Home Based Business Week. A yearly celebration to honor, educate and advance entrepreneurs who have traded cubicle lifestyles for “castle“comforts, and greater flexibility. Some freelancers have strategically chosen this entrepreneurial path, while others have been immersed in the waters because of corporate downsizing, tough times, and the relative ease of conducting business online.

Whether by choice or chance, knowing how to deal with day-to-day challenges and learning to work smarter, not harder can be the key to longevity and success.
With this in mind, here are some tips to make the most of your experience, based upon my own.

FIVE WAYS TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TIME AND EFFORTS

1. Establish a daily routine.
Though it may be tempting to play video games, tune into soaps, or sleep in late, know that idlely sitting on your bottom will have an adverse affect on your bottom line. Just because you have no one to watch over you doesn’t mean you’re not accountable. Consider your clients, editors, advertisers and family. Establishing a routine helps to provide structure and greater efficiency.

2. Devise goals.
Goals serve like a road map to help to navigate your direction. Where would you like to be published? How much money do you want to earn this week? This month? This quarter? How will you target new clients and find new projects? Go even further and write your goals down. Studies show that writing goals down increases the likelihood of achieving them.

3. Make your space an accommodating place.
Did you know that where you work is just as important as how you work? Whether you toil from a corner in your basement, or a bedroom converted into a beautiful office, make sure that it suits your personality, work style and line of work. Ideally, it should be adorned in colors that inspire you, be free from clutter, and equipped with the latest technology and tools you need to succeed. Add a few posters of expensive places you’d like to travel, to help keep your eye on the prize and to keep your mojo working.

4. Be savvy about social media.
There’s no doubt about it: social media is crucial to connecting with others to build your platform, stay “in the know,” and stay in the black. But too much time spent enjoying this popular past-time can prove counterproductive. Whether you indulge daily or weekly, impose a time limit and stick to it.

5. Choose your clients carefully.
Doing so can help to avoid potential headaches, wasted hours, burned bridges, and lost income. Money aside--take the time to ask the right questions. To discern whether there is a similar work ethic, compatible agendas, and meeting of the minds. Increase the odds for a winning, long term relationship by getting all work conditions in writing.

Follow these five tips to enjoy greater success and less stress on the home front.


Any tips to add to the list?

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