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Work from Home and Stay Motivated
Working at Home
Are you a stay at-home mom doing freelance work from home? Or maybe you own your own business that is run from your basement? Maybe you have a job that allows you to work from home with a few visits to the office each week? Whatever your situation; if you work from home you have probably faced the problem of staying motivated on multiple occasions. The act of actually getting ready and leaving your house every day for work gives many people a small sense of accomplishment in and of itself, which means as a stay-at-home employee or employer you are more subject to fall into a not-so-productive daily routine. So how do you avoid this unproductive streak? Or, if you have already fallen into it, how can you get back out and stay motivated while working from home?
Here are 5 tips on how you can stay upbeat, productive, and motivated while working from home:
1. Claim Your Space
When working from home you are going to need to claim a space as your own, one spot in the house where you are able to get your work done. Choosing one specific spot may be necessary to help trick your brain into thinking that when you are sitting in that specific spot it is time to get down to work not to browse through recipes or Facebook. This space should not be an overly comfortable armchair that is also used for watching T.V. it should also not be your bed. Your bed is for sleeping and if you start bringing work to the place where you sleep your brain will not shut down when it is time to sleep and your work-brain will not be able to focus during work hours because it will be thinking of sleep.
2. Personalize Your Work Schedule
Do you get extremely tired around 2:00? Do you work better in the morning? Maybe you feel more productive and motivated right after dinner time? You know the best part about working from home? You get to personalize your work schedule according to what you like and what works best for you. If you need time to wake yourself up in the morning before you plunge into your workload, you can take the time to wake up before buckling down and getting motivated.
3. Figure Out Your Drive
Motivating yourself is hard. Unlike many others who literally go to a place of work and are forced to do things whether they feel like it or not, you must become motivated and get things done, whether you feel like it or not, all on your own. This means you are going to have to figure out what it is deep down that drives your self-motivation. For some people, their motivation comes from wanting a feeling of accomplishment and productivity at the end of the day, for others thinking about their families gives them the motivation and drive they need to stay productive, and still for others it may mean promising yourself certain rewards for achieving certain tasks throughout the day. What drives you? Maybe it’s a cupcake after lunch, or a picture of your family on your desk; find out what works for you and use it to your advantage.
4. Write it Down
This may not work for everyone, but someone once said that “Goals that are not written down are just wishes.” – Unknown. Another reason you may want to consider writing down your goals is that a professor in California, Dr. Gail Matthews, found that “you are 42 percent more likely to achieve your goals just by writing them down.” Writing your goals down forces you to literally look at your goals each and every day and to be really clear about what you want to achieve. Seeing those goals every day will help keep you motivated to work toward them on a daily basis. How else can you see your progress if you don’t have something written down that you can cross off and check as you fulfill your goals? Write your goals down and it makes it easier to celebrate your personal progress. I like writing my goals in my daily planner, and I found one that I absolutely love! It mixes planning - and art! there are fun stickers with phrases like 'Do Your Best' and 'Make a Plan' That help you organize and plan your life in a fun way.
5. Tell Someone
All of the above tips are great ways to help keep yourself motivated and driven to accomplish your work-from-home goals, but now and then staying motivated when you are the only person responsible is hard and seemingly impossible. We all fall off the horse now and again, to prepare yourself for these times it can help to have a coworker or a friend who knows about your goals and can help you get back to business. Tell someone about your goals; a friend, a spouse, a coworker, even another family member. Telling others about your goals gives you someone else to be accountable to when they ask you how you are doing.
Remember the Alternative
Whenever you are discouraged and unmotivated - try to remember the alternative. You could be at a job you really dislike doing from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. Try to remember the good things, you get to decide when where you work! That is such a great thing! Find what motivates you and stick to it! You are awesome! You got this!
When All Else Fails - Fake It
You've heard the phrase 'Fake it Till You Make it,' this is what you need to do when you lack - well - anything. If you lack confidence? fake it, if you lack leadership? fake it, if you lack motivation? fake it until you make it. Hardly anyone ever knows what they are doing when they first start trying things - everyone fakes it from time to time - it helps them to pretend for a little bit before the real thing kicks in. Try it, or Fake it and you will see.