Working From Home Challenges
Keeping yourself busy while working from home can be challenging. If you try these things, it can make a difference
So, we have all been self isolating and working from home the past few months and are wondering how long this is supposed to last. Many of us have been working from home daily and it seems it may continue this way for a little while longer.
I began my small business in February of this year (2020) after leaving the corporate world and right before the pandemic lockdown began. I have worked for someone else for over 40 years and during the last 10 or so years, I dreamt of becoming an independent consultant and running my own business. The opportunity presented itself in February and I began my business. I did some homework on how to do it and started to build my website and social media platforms. I joined small business groups in my area, attended workshops on how to build a successful business, and applied for all the required licenses, etc. even got a couple of clients to work with...and then everything came to a stop and I found myself staring down the long road to uncertainty.
At first, I thought this was a crappy time to start a business, but as time went on, I began to realize this is actually a good time to start a new business. Some things about business will be forever changed and there will be new norms. When everything stopped, I found myself sleeping in, not making any plans, and not really doing much of anything. I lived in my yoga pants and did not curl my hair or put on makeup. Next thing I knew it was the end of April and I had not accomplished much. Joining the small business center in my area was the best thing I could have done early on, as I receive invites to attend webinar and workshops all the time. I recently attended an online webinar on how to stay productive working from home and that helped me to get back on track.
The webinar reminded me to get up early every day and dress like I was going to work. Just because I am working from home does not mean I can slack off. My business is still open. It also taught me to spend my early morning reading the news over my coffee. News that I would learn things from about being an entrepreneur, about technology, about how to improve my business during these times. News on how the world is changing and how to keep pace. The webinar reminded me to spend my time educating myself, listening to TED talks and learning all I could from successful entrepreneurs. I have signed up for business news and am now reading articles other than how many Covid cases the world has daily, and it has made quite a difference in how I conduct myself and my business now.
Finally, the webinar taught me to make a daily to-do list with 3 top priorities for each day. My list contains things that "must be done today", "should be done today" and "would be nice to be done today". I now have a list of things that include updating my business plan to getting in daily exercise for myself and my mind, and even meal prep.
The webinar was a kick in the shorts and a great reminder to keep myself busy while working from home. I encourage whoever has fallen into the trap of sleeping in and not getting dressed in anything other than yoga pants, or just not being as productive as you would like, to really think about what you just read in this blog and try some of the things I have. On my list today was to finish this blog....mission accomplished! On to tomorrow's to-do list. If you are interested in learning more, feel free to contact me at amedwards@ameconsulting.ca