You started a home based business because you wanted to be in charge of your time spent working. But now it seems as though you work more than ever! That often happens in the beginning, when you’re learning to manage your time without a boss looking over your shoulder. Follow these steps to better time management, and take back control of your schedule.
Choose your priorities. Just as you complete one task, two more roll in. Doesn’t it feel as though you’ll never get caught up?
It’s true; none of us will ever complete everything we have to do, want to do, and feel like we should do! So abandon the idea of “doing it all” and learn to be selective instead.
Each morning, list your top priorities for the day and tackle those first. Dedicate yourself to those tasks only, and refuse to be sidetracked by anything else. If this means reducing distractions, turning off your phone, or ignoring interruptions, then so be it.
Be patient with yourself. According to research, it takes about 66 days to establish a new habit, and at that point the behavior becomes automatic. Power through those first few weeks, trusting that your new routine will become easier and easier by the day.
The human brain is wired to repeat actions that feel rewarding, and that rush of satisfaction you feel after completing a task will serve as a powerful motivation. In just a few months your new time management skills will become ingrained habits, because your brain will continue to seek that rush of happiness.
Visualize your success. Visualization exercises are powerful tools used by the world’s most successful people. Take a few moments each day to picture yourself performing, dynamically, at the level to which you aspire. Go ahead and picture the rewards, too!
Put yourself back in the “office”. If work and personal life are truly bleeding together, physically leaving the house can help to break the cycle of chaos. This signals to your brain that it’s time to work, and helps you leave other worries behind (for a few hours, anyway).
Come visit us at Parlay Cafe, we’ve created an environment tailored for the person who works from home, but occasionally needs an escape!
Written by Don Mastrangelo, Owner, Parlay Café