ENLISTED TO ENTREPRENEUR By Vicki Garcia veteransinbiz@gmail.com
Tips for Working from Home Successfully There was a time when working from home was a pipe dream. No office to drive to. Refrigerator close at hand. Nap whenever you like. Ah-h-h…in fact, that may be one of the major reasons to start your own business. Many years ago, my assistant turned to me and said “you know, you could save $1000 a month if you started working from home. Duh. That was a motivator. Now everybody is doing it, and in many ways that has made it easier. As usual, the internet supplies whatever you need, even if you didn’t know you needed it. Office supply deliveries and Zoom.com come to mind. If you’re not an organized person (let’s call it “spontaneous”) or easily distracted (that would be me) working from home can present some challenges. Kids, dogs, domestic partners…they respect no boundaries. Really, I do want to talk about the faucet valve that blew out while I’m adding up that list of figures. How is it that pets can scream pick me up, pick me up, pick me up without uttering a word? It’s the greatest working arrangement you could hope for. It can work if you take charge of it. A Few Tips to Make You a Successful Home Bound CEO 1. Routine is Your Friend. Start at the same time every day, in the same way. Hanging out in the bed can be addictive, getting worse the more often you do it. Want to go to the coffee shop every day first, fine. Build into your routine. 2. Get Dressed. You don’t have to dress up like you would at an office, but wearing nice, comfortable clothes have the odd effect of making you feel ready to work. 3. Know When to Quit. Just one more thing to do. One more email to answer. You look up and you’ve been working for 10 hours. This is not good for your inner clock or the dog. 4. Turn to the Internet for Help. Apps are around that can help you in real-time in a variety of ways. Rescuetime. com for instance helps to track your activities automatically. 48
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It also has an internal ability you set up to avoid distractions called Focus Time, interfacing with Google, Calendar, and Outlook with team working abilities. Reports on your productivity abound. Fortunately, you don’t have to report that to the Boss, because you are the Boss. 5. Create Boundaries. If you have a door shut it. You probably have seen video of a very important person on a Zoom call and an adorable, but terribly distracting tot wanders in. If you don’t have a door, tell everyone a hammer will fall if they approach without permission, or during certain times. Mention Darth Vader. Be strict and you will benefit. 6. Declutter. Visual distractions can be, well, distracting. Make it look like an office, not a space carved out of your kitchen where the dishes, food, and reminders of what you need to cook for dinner grab your eye. 7. Consider the Lighting. Natural light through the windows can be wonderful, but it can cause glare on your computer screen. You might think the view is delicious, but if you’re really working, you will never look at it. Try pulling the blinds and flipping on the light switch. Table lamps and desk lamps can provide the focus you might like. 8. Focus, Focus, Focus. Working from home can blur the lines between work and home stuff. If you’re disciplined