Work For Yourself? This Is A MUST READ!

[Oregon Coast Guy]

I found this article that I had to share you all of you. This is vital information whether you're someone who already works from home (like I do) or someone wanting to get to that point. If there is ANYTHING you need to get stuck in your head and make a part of your work from home life, this is it:

Living Self-Employed Online: The Manual They Forgot to Give You

Have a groovy weekend!

 

[seanicasia]

Thanks for the sharing Tony.

It's a good read. What hit me was the 'Identify the most important tasks part'. I think that's something many people tend to get distracted from when they start working from home.

Appreciate it

 

[ComputerGirl]

Thanks, that was a really nice article!

I have already implemented at least some part of mentioned advice in my self - employed life, and there definitely will come other as well with the time.

I think that at the moment I am at the stage when I am working all the time, even at the night I see some dreams that includes that what I am doing in the day time. I think it starts become a little too much and "Give Yourself Office Hours" could really help me, hopefully that would help me at least not all the time think just about web, posts, comments, backlinks, keywords and so on, and so on ...

 

[EmpyreAndrea]

That was a good article, but I would have to add to the "Give Yourself Office Hours" rule. You need a true office as well. When I started working from home, I'd just set up with my laptop on my lap while I sprawled out on the couch. It was comfy and nice, but whenever I sat on that spot with my laptop, regardless of the time or day of the week, I'd just have to check my work email, the reply to my blog post, or something. The simple act of sitting on my couch while I worked created a strong association in my mind, so it made it very hard to escape my work. Now I have a desk in a home office. When its time for work, I have an environment where its easy to concentrate and there are no distractions. Best of all, when I'm done working for the day, I can just shut off my computer and walk away. No checking my email or getting back to a client. Just down time without work being on my mind. An office is absolutely crucial to keeping your sanity when you work from home.

 

[anniest]

Very good article! You're right, a must read. It isn't as easy as most people believe when you work at home. If you are just starting out, it's hard to think of this as a job that you will make money at if you continue to work and grow your business. I told my husband to think of those first months when I didn't make any money as my training period. Just pretend I am going to school to learn affiliate marketing, which justified the amount of time I was working without pay (not only for my husband but for me also). I believe setting office hours, in a designated room that you turn into an office, helps tremendously to keep the focus! I'm printing this article out for future reference.

 

[ComputerGirl]

You need a true office as well.

You are so right about this, but unfortunately not always there is a possibility to manage living place as a office. I live in a pretty small flat, and by small I mean really small, so I am transferring my working place from one part of the flat to other, but still I cannot find the best place where to work. I tried to do that on a couch, then on one table, then on the next, but still something is disturbing me and I do not know why I cannot find the best place. Maybe simply because there is so small this place, that it is hard to separate some part of it that it could be considered as a working place.

I hope that will time something will change, because it is quite hard to keep on going like that.

 

[anniest]

You are so right about this, but unfortunately not always there is a possibility to manage living place as a office. I live in a pretty small flat, and by small I mean really small, so I am transferring my working place from one part of the flat to other, but still I cannot find the best place where to work. I tried to do that on a couch, then on one table, then on the next, but still something is disturbing me and I do not know why I cannot find the best place. Maybe simply because there is so small this place, that it is hard to separate some part of it that it could be considered as a working place.

I hope that will time something will change, because it is quite hard to keep on going like that.

I understand that having an extra room to make into an office is not always possible. While my children were younger every room was taken in our house. The only place to set up my office was their 'playroom', which was not the place to get any work done! I found out what worked for me during this time and that was to designate one side of the dining room table for my office. I kept my supplies in a file box, which I put in the corner when I wasn't working. I used my cell phone and a laptop, so I didn't have to set up a computer or phone. But just having this one place for my office worked better than the couch or the bed. I needed to sit at a table. Now that I have an office and my kids are in college, I am still interrupted during the day. I think that is just something we have to learn to live with if we are going to work at home.

 

[ComputerGirl]

Thanks, anniest for your reply!

You are probably right about that necessity of learning how to work productive at home!

For me what sometimes disturbs at home is my little dog, she is very nice, but she wants my attention, so I try to do as much as possible while she is calm, then is part of walking out, then she want to play, so I have to take a breaks, but sometimes it is even good because in other cases I would not take a break at all and that sometimes ends very bad for my eyes if I have spent all day in front of the computer.

And one more time about that working place, I think that it is important that in whatever place I choose that it could be my working place or office, I have to feel comfortable in it. That is the main reason why I am changing from one place to other, I cannot find place where I would be able to think just about that what I have to do and not about that,for example, is not my chair disturbing from my work. So maybe I will solve it simply with more appropriate chair that I would not have to work form couch!

 

[EmpyreAndrea]

Well, if you're having a hard time finding a comfortable place to call your "office," then maybe you can just have certain things that make your designated spot your office. For example, when I had to study for an exam in college, I didn't have an office either, so I spent about 10 minutes preparing my office before I started working. I'd set up my textbooks, notebooks, highlighters, pencils, calculator, etc before I did anything. The fact that all of these objects were present while I worked made me associate studying with the present objects rather than my couch, because I would sit on the couch without working, but I wouldn't work without these objects. If you could find certain objects that are present while you work, such as paperwork/files, post-it notes, candles, etc. it would help you separate yourself from work. If you make your couch a temporary desk with all the fixings, it will allow you to make that "work" association with the objects on the desk rather than the spot on the couch.

 

[ComputerGirl]

Thank you for advices, EmpyreAndrea!

In fact, I must say that I already do something from that what you mentioned! I do have some papers, pencils, phone, computer which are things that helps me to organize myself on work, and just taking all this and putting next to me even on that couch does help, even if I do not need those papers at the moment, it still helps! It makes more like feeling of real work . And that sometimes is even surprising how much can be done with such a simple things!

 

[theentry]

haha this part is very true

The reason I say this is simply because when you work from home, there is nothing harder than shutting off. While you're eating, you may just want to check your email quickly. While you're in the shower, you may have the idea for a blog post and quickly run to your computer to write it down. The times you start neglecting your normal life for your business surprisingly, yet quickly, add up.

 

[raider23]

Great article. Embodies the pricincipals of working from home very well. There is one thing I would add

It does not stress enough the fact that it is is hard wokl from the beginning and it takes a long time to get into real profints. But when you do..........

 

[Oregon Coast Guy]

It is hard work indeed. In many ways more difficult than a 9-to-5, outside the home.

You are the one in charge of your destiny. You are the one outlining what your work day will be like and the need to stay focused in absolutely essential.

Those few things right there are hard work! But, boy, is it fun!

 

[careybaird]

Thanks for the post! It is a wonderful article and I have learn a lot from it.