Working from home during lockdown becoming difficult?

Time management skills for self-employed persons or persons who work remotely can be the difference between being successful and being able to manage all the piece they are juggling. Working from home doesn’t always mean you can perform tasks whenever. 

With more companies requiring employees to be logged on during core hours it is becoming harder and harder to manage. Add virtual school for children to the equation, between the sharing of electronics and working space, working from home has become very stressful.

Today, I will share some tips for managing your time and eliminating the distractions.

1.Schedule, Schedule, Schedule

Yes, we are back here again, without planning and scheduling we are just winging it and running around like headless chickens. Create a schedule for the week, include what work you want to accomplish in the day, add activities for the children, church/charity activities, doctor visits, everything you need to accomplish in the week. Set times for these activities, that way you can determine whether it is feasible to get all done and you can also share the schedule with the rest of the family so everyone knows where everyone is, and what they are doing.

2. Do not Disturb 

Whether you physically get a do not disturb sign or you verbally let persons know you are not available, making yourself unavailable outside of the times you have designated will make a huge difference to the success of your day. 

I recall once when I was self-employed a friend called me up in the middle of the day to request me to look for sporting tickets for an event we were to attend, and then had the gall to say “since you are home and not busy”. I learnt it’s very hard for persons who have never been self-employed to understand the pressure you face when you are earning on your time and not being paid just because you showed up. Even if you are working remotely for an organisation, you are expected to maintain your productivity level and as more and more companies offer remote working options to employees, the hours are becoming less flexible.

Another major challenge in this area may be family members who see you as a taxi service because your time is flexible, you can easily loose a whole day from running one errand and chances are, by the time you return home you are so unfocused that you can’t get started or get back on track.

3. Discipline 

You will need discipline the height of a mountain when you are self-employed or work remotely as there are so many distractions. Television, telephone, noisy neighbours, food in the fridge that keeps beckoning for you to come look even though you did five minutes ago, are all distractions. 

It’s best to put your phone on silent and engage as if you were in a formal work setting. If you are at a start-up stage and not as busy as you can be, I would suggest using the time to read up on professional articles, do some research or try to teach yourself a new skill such as  managing your social media presence as opposite to catching up on the latest episode of your favourite show.

4. Create a work space

Carve out a space that is functional and comfortable for you to be productive, you don’t have to go out and buy new furniture unless you are at the stage where you are creating a home office, but having a space that is just your space is always helpful. That way you can leave your post-it reminders, schedules and work items without having to tidy away everyday for other members of the family to use that space.

5. Hold yourself accountable

If you were going to a paid job, there would be a level of expectation, that is, getting tasks done by a specific time or clocking a specific numbers of hours in a day. The same should apply even if you are self-employed. Try clocking how many hours you work in a day/week and how long it took to complete specific task as a way to benchmark for the future. This can also help with determining how much you should be charging for your goods or service even if you are not billing per time spent. Set out a to-do-list everyday and ensure you tick those boxes.

6. Utilise flexibility

One of the advantages of being self-employed or working from home is being able to set your own schedule. That means you can do the school run everyday, go to the gym during the day when it’s less busy, take a mid-day nap or whatever else you desire. Doing this however may mean that your day starts at 5am, and that is fine, if at 1pm you can be done for the day. 

Embrace the flexibility.

7. Get outside 

May sound simple but persons who work from home know it can be a lonely road and unless you absolutely have to be and about, you can be house bound for days without realizing it. Incorporate the gym or some other type of physical activity in your day which forces you to get outside, a weekly coffee date with a friend can be also an option, or a simple walk to the mailbox.

8. Maintain outside help

If you have had the benefit of outside help in the form of housekeeping services or a child minder, it would be best to maintain that help, that is, as long as the budget can accommodate it. 

9. Night Routine 

As part out your nightly routine spend a few minutes tidying your space by putting back things where they belong. It makes a huge difference in the morning to wake up to a fresh space and you are not tempted to spend time you had carved out to working tidying. As simple as this sounds, when I worked from home, this made such a huge difference to my mood in the morning.

10. Monitor your health

Both physically and mentally. Eating habits can drastically change in a new setting and if you are now not as active as before your physical health can deteriorate. Also, working in solitude can have an effect on your mental health, being in an office environment helps with the social aspect of our being even if you are an introvert like myself, but studies have shown isolation associated with working from home or remotely can lead to anxiety as explained in this article. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/working-from-home-mental-health_n_5afd88e2e4b0a59b4e014602

In a nutshell, enjoy the benefit of setting your own schedule, stay motivated and try to create a suitable support network. Seek out other like minded individuals as your frame of mind changes when you are self employed and most persons don’t understand that shift, sometimes close family members and friends don’t understand that your focus is elsewhere and you are reserving your brain matter for other things, like where that next paid gig is coming from.