Creative Income

The blog dedicated to all things crafty business!

Keeping Your Head in the Game: Tips on Working from Home

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Many of us are expert multitaskers, juggling a full time job, family, blogging, running a craft business, and so much more.  That’s why it can be so essential for us to stay focused and get to business when we make that time to work on business. I know that for me it takes some effort and planning to really get right down to business instead of dilly-dallying when I’m supposed to be working. I just get too easily distracted by everything (Pinterest anyone?). So for me, personally, I’ve had to come up with a few steps that get me focused.

Desk Space

  • Create a designated work space and keep it organized. Working from the couch may seem appealing, but it also comes with a million distractions – t.v., laying down for a second, etc. Don’t get sucked into it! Create a space that is meant just for work. This will help narrow your focus when in that space and it will let you feel more relaxed on the couch because you’ll actually be able to get away from work. Once you’ve created that work space, you’ll need to organize it. I will find any reason possible to procrastinate, especially if I don’t feel like doing something in that moment. To avoid this need as much as possible, I have to make sure I keep my work space organized and free of clutter. This also makes finding notebooks, tools, supplies, and everything else easier when I need them.
  • Keep what you need handy. Is it going to be a long day of crafting? Keep snacks handy. This will reduce the urge to wander in to the kitchen and get distracted. Is today dedicated to managing your books? Make sure you have all the essential supplies – calculator, notebooks, inventory – right next to you. Making necklaces? Bring all your supplies to your work area before you start. This may sound so simple, but trust me, the expert dilly-dallier, it will help you save time when you don’t have to go back to your craft box to look for that one pair of pliers.
  • Shower and put clothes on. If working from home is the only kind of working you are doing that day, it may be tempting to stay in your p.j.’s. Don’t give in! You will already feel like you’ve gotten a head start on your day if you shower and get dressed before getting started.
  • Find your zone.  For me this means some mindless t.v. show playing in the background that I’ve seen a million times before and therefore don’t have to pay attention to. For you this could mean listening to music while you work or even working in total silence. Whatever the thing is, it should motivate you and keep you focused. That way if you want to get distracted for a second, you can stare or listen and then remember that you have work to do.
  • Set time limits. For those of us working from home, it can sometimes feel like we never escape work. Remember to relax! I know we all want to do it all, but it’s important to take some me-time every now and then. Set some time limits for yourself and stick to them. It’ll also help you stay focused knowing that you only have 2 hours to get everything you need to do today done.
It’s not easy, but it is do-able. Another thing that I always have to remind myself is “there’s always tomorrow”. Unless it’s time sensitive, whatever you didn’t finish can wait until tomorrow. That necklace will have to go unseen one more day before you list it on Etsy because tonight you need sleep.

How do you stay motivated when working from home?

Here are a few more articles with tips on working from home:

 

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