Are You Struggling to Stay Productive While Working From Home as a Small Business Owner?
If you work from home as a small business owner, it can be tough to stay on top of things. Since you are your own boss, you must be organized, disciplined, and motivated. Whether you own a pool service company, a home watch company, a lawn care company, or a similar type of business, working from can be challenging, which the past couple of years have made abundantly clear.
With a little bit of effort, however, you can make the WFH routine work well for you. Here are some tips to help you out.
- Make a schedule and stick to it.
This will help you stay focused and on track. FlexJobs reports that, “While you likely have at least some ability to decide when you will start and stop your workday, it’s still wise to set aside some regular work hours. If you’re changing your schedule every day, it can be difficult for you to find a rhythm, both physically and mentally.” - Take breaks when you need them.
Don’t try to work all the time or you’ll burn yourself out. Forbes explains, “People need to know where their mental bandwidth is during different times of day. Sometimes scheduling blocks in your calendar can be really helpful. It’s also crucial to make sure that you have real breaks during those blocks. - Stay in communication with your team.
Whether you’re using email, instant messaging, or video conferencing, make sure you’re staying in touch with your employees or contractors. Inc. Magazine writes that, “If you manage people, be clear with them about any new or different communication and productivity expectations you have now that your team is working remotely.” - Delegate tasks when possible.
You can’t do everything yourself, so delegate tasks to others when you can. Motley Fool recommends a work breakdown structure to “reduce a project down to its smallest components, which ensures a task isn’t too big for an employee to manage. The WBS helps you define the scope of each task as well as all the pieces required to complete a project, so you’re clear on what work needs to get done, interdependencies across tasks, and timelines.” - Keep your work and personal life separate.
It can be tempting to work all the time when you work from home, but it’s important to maintain a healthy balance between work and your personal life. The World Economic Forum recommends intentionally “blocking out time on your calendar for personal activities like exercise, meals and phone calls with your family. And, you should set expectations with your co-workers that you won’t be reachable after 17.00 or 18.00 during the week or anytime on the weekends unless it’s an emergency. By being both intentional about your time and upfront with your team, you can have more control over your work life.” - Make it fun.
One way to stay motivated when working from home is to set up a competition with yourself or your work colleagues. See who can get the most work done in a day, or who can take the least breaks. This will help you stay focused and on task, and it may even be fun! - Set personal goals.
For example, you could say that you want to work for two hours straight, and then take a half hour break. Once you reach your goal, give yourself a reward, like watching a short TV show or taking a walk around the block.
Together, these tips will help you stay focused and motivated, and help you avoid burnout.
To learn more about how to make your small business a success, contact us at 239-349-9400 or email hello@provalet.io. Provalet.io is a powerful and simple software that helps you run your field service company. Designed with the independent small business in mind, ProValet.io automates business management and elevates customer service to an entirely new level in a simple, easy to use format. With its user-friendly interface, you can manage your business without relying on pens, paper, or binders. Keep your business organized and running like a pro with Provalet.io.
This ProValet.io Blog Post is Part of a Series Designed to Help Small Business Owners
Manage Their Field Service Software, Field Service App, and Mobile Field Service App
and Keep Their Business Running Like a Pro