Work At Home: Get Set And Go Get!

Get Set

Set: to adjust for proper functioning, to arrange.

Getting set is a matter of preparation. The distractions of working at home are many: children, ringing phones, and the freedom to do whatever you want. Not being chained to an office setting feels like Freedom. Real Freedom!

Working at home is not a vacation. It takes effort, discipline, and desire to succeed in any work at home venture.

To become successful you must get set.

Set Location

Where’s your office? It can be anywhere as long as it’s a business-like environment. A “working” location affords you the ability to concentrate. No distractions.

I work from either my home office or the library. You can work wherever you feel comfortable, as long as you Work there.

Set Times

Map out your work day. Begin working at the same time each day. Cease working at a set time. Do not work whenever you feel like it. Few lack the discipline to work when they should work. Today’s work becomes tomorrow’s work. Tomorrow’s work becomes next week’s work.

The time of day doesn’t matter. The starting point does. If you’re a night owl start work at noon. Work until eight. Take a few breaks in between.

Set a hard stop to your workday. Obey it. Do Not fiddle around with your work-related tasks after hours. Your ego says that you’re working hard or working extra, but deep down this is anxiety that you haven’t done enough during your 8-12 hour workday.

I wake at 5:00 AM. After meditating for 20 minutes I work until 8AM. (I strongly recommend at least 20 minutes of meditation per day) Take another 5-10 minute break for meditation. I continue until noon and stop for a lunch break. I wrap everything up by 6 o’clock.

Treat this as a job. Set location, set time.

Set Tasks

Here is where you truly become the boss. You must tell yourself what to do. Delegating tasks is 1 part planning, 1 part trial and error. You wont know what to do until you research. Some of the research will be information, some misinformation. Your job is the lab; success comes to those who experiment until they get it right.

“All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sit down 10 minutes prior to your work shift. List out what you intend to finish. Every task is important. Some require immediate attention. List them first but don’t ever think that they’re more important than other chores.

Write EFFICIENCY as the first item on the list. Each act need not be done quickly. Fear is hurry, and hurry negates. Think efficiency. Do the best job that you can with each task in as little amount of time. Think “I’m doing my best now” as you go about each task while adopting a sense of urgency. Efficiency will become a habit.

Go Get

No, you can’t set it and forget it. A work at home job requires effort. More effort than a 9-5 gig. You are the boss. You set the work location, the work times, the work tasks.

You also set your salary. Extra responsibility means bigger rewards.

How do you work at home ‘ers get set?

- Photo flickr.com/photos/tutuwon/