I just came across a great post for those of us who work from a home office in The Organised Times Blog from Lorraine Pirihi. It’s entitled Here’s How You Can Avoid the Home Office Trap.
I know I fall prey to many of these same issues! I thought I’d share the first four tips from the post with you. As you can imagine, I highly recommend #2 hiring a virtual assistant. But seriously, what are some of your home office commandments?
1. ESTABLISH A ROUTINE
You should structure your day so that it is both purposeful and productive. Decide on a starting and finishing time for your day; allow for breaks so that you work smarter, not harder. Doing this will also allow you to better differentiate between work and home, and will encourage you to be more professional.
2. FOCUS ON YOUR STRENGTHS, OUTSOURCE YOUR WEAKNESSES
You should be spending the maximum amount of time working on the parts of your business that you are best at. If your billable time is worth $200 an hour, then make sure you spend most of your time on the activities that will produce that for you.
If you don’t want to employ an administrative assistant, invest in a virtual assistant who works off-site (see www.asecretary.com.au). Avoid filling up your day with non-productive activities. Invest your time and money into the right areas of your business; don’t just keep yourself busy.
3. ORGANISE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Have the right tools and systems to work with - an appropriate chair, desk, computer, filing system. This will make you look, feel and act more professionally. In addition, if a client comes round to your house, your professionalism will inspire confidence in you.
4. DECLUTTER THE CLUTTER
A messy working environment which forces you to be continuously spending valuable time searching for things, whether files and emails on the computer or documents in filing cabinets and cupboards, cumulatively wastes hours a day. Clutter is distracting and causes stress, and it is the primary enemy of productivity.