One of the biggest adjustments for me in my new chapter of life is working from home. With the exception of a couple of years in the 90s I have worked with a fairly large staff for the past 30 years. Now I can fit my entire staff in my Chevy Cobalt. (With room for 3 additional passengers and a car seat) This week I’m sharing some of the tips I’m learning to find success when working alone. I’d love to hear your tips as well.
Every day needs a schedule
The good thing about not working in an office is that I control my time. The bad thing is that I have very little self-control. Therefore I have to create a schedule everyday to keep from spending all my time “connecting online”.
Without external forces like meetings and lunch hours creating a schedule from scratch each day is challenging. I have been through time management courses, I have read Getting Things Done (Twice. I didn’t actually finish it either time) and I have tried every tip Michael Hyatt has ever put out; I have decided that time management systems work for people who are good at time management. I had to create a plan so simple an idiot like me could do it. Here’s what I do:
- Write out a to do list every day
- Write out a time schedule for the day in 30 minute increments
8:00-8:30
8:30-9:00
9:00-9:30
Etc - Figure when in the day I will be the most productive and focused. For me that is usually the first part of the morning and the first part of the afternoon.
- Move things from the to do list to the schedule according to
- Priority
- Productivity required (I do writing projects first thing (high productive slot) in the morning and tackle email right before lunch (low productive slot))
- Cross things off the list as I accomplish them so I feel like I’m getting something done. People who build houses can see progress at the end of the day. I need that same feeling of accomplishment.
- Carry unfinished items to the next day. If I don’t carry things over they never get done. After one day on the list they are no longer shiny and fun.
So that’s how I carve up my day. How do you stay productive working from home?
