HOME OFFICE PRODUCTIVITY

Many small business owners (including commission sales people) work from home. I have found that there is a lack of “productive discipline” in many cases. There are a lot of reasons why a small business may fail, and in my opinion, this one makes the top 5.

Your challenge to today is to review the following home office suggestions and apply them as needed. I will promise that if you incorporate them into your daily business life and make them a habit, you will see a change in your bottom line.

1. Set “Work Hours” to follow each day. Start your work day at a specific time every day and work until the end of your work day, say 5 pm. Set lunch breaks and coffee breaks at specific times times.
2. Have a permanent work space that has all the equipment, including technology, that is required to operate your business.
3. Get dressed to go to work. Don’t start your day in your P.J.s.
4. Don’t work in front of the TV.
5. Don’t get involved with personal “busy” work such as social media or visiting with friends. During your work time, your activities should pertain to your work.
6. Have a schedule of “to do” items when you are in your home office. For example, allow a specific amount of time for on-line marketing, making calls and other regular required items in your specific business.
7. Leave the office. Occasionally you need a change of scenery. Invite someone to meet you for coffee of take your computer to a coffee shop and work there for an hour. A change of pace will help increase productivity.
8. Avoid family during your work day; your office is not a family gathering place where any family member can drop in and visit at any time.
9. Interaction is a “human necessity”. Use video Chat to talk to colleagues, BizQuack members, your peer group or clients every day.

If you have any other suggestions that you would like to share, please let me know and I will send them out to our members.

TAKE THE CHALLENGE!
——————————————————————————————————————————————-
Tips & Advice by Nick Petra, CFP – Founder of BizQuack and StrategicDuck