Avoiding Getting Distracted from your End Goal

A job that allows you to work from home can be a blessing. Unfortunately it can also become a total disaster. There are many roadblocks that can distract you from your end goal. Mental preparation, good communication skills and self-confidence are just a few of the tools necessary to help you do it right. Being able to wake up from bed, put the kettle on and sit at your desk reading emails and checking voice mails, all when you are still dressed in your pajamas is a dream for some. If you're not your own boss, the day that you do decide to stay in you bath robe is the day your CEO will surprise you with a video conference. Those who will succeed in this situation are the same people that will take the matter seriously while they are totally aware of the potential problems. These are people with self discipline who are capable of being their own bosses.

Here are six tips (and some warnings) to help you find your way:

Prepare yourself psychologically: For a large number of people who used to work in an office, the transition to working from home can be difficult. How you prepare for the new situation will determine how successful you are. Work from Home is still work, it's not a vacation or freedom from responsibility. Understanding this will help greatly when starting a work from home opportunity. As part of the process I recommend that you set up a real office at home. Don't use this space for other things. Don't let your kids play in it, don't let your spouse use it for household things. This is your space and you need it to be just for you. When you go to work in your home office, go to work don't go in and wander around mentally or physically. Go in there to work. This also means don't go in there on “non working” times to do anything else.

Take yourself and your work seriously: A good way to start this is to dress properly all day. The way you dress can affect how you feel and how you interact with other people. In addition, you should make yourself assignments, follow them and take them seriously. Include a strict schedule for yourself and stick to it. Arrange projects for yourself just like you were in an office and make sure that you are prepared for any scenario that you may encounter in your day. Instead of focusing on it being a work from home situation, just think of it as moving into a new office.

Avoid complete isolation: When you work from home, it's easy to feel like you are on all alone on a remote island. This is especially true if you are one who likes to work in teams and interact with others. You have to find an outlet to meet your social needs. Try going to the gym before you start your day or having a cup of coffee with a friend or neighbor, just like you would have done with a coworker at the office. Just make sure that you set limits with yourself and others on your social time. Don't let going to the gym in the morning turn into the gym, then coffee, then the grocery, and on while work sits untouched on your desk at home. Give yourself a window of time and stick to it.

Establish good communications with your colleagues : If you are working from home as part of a larger company that has a main office, there's no reason that you should be cut off from your colleagues. Keep in touch and consult with them by phone, emails, video conferencing or IM. It fills part of that social need and it's like they're just down the hall. If it is geographically possible, meet for lunch at least once a month. If it's not geographically possible, find time to meet sometime during the year in person. I find that once you've met someone in person, they are much easier to talk with through email or IM. Also, make sure that you are up to date with office events. If someone is getting married or having a baby, make sure to phone them to say congratulations. Ignoring events and even office politics can cause a rift in between you and your colleagues that is difficult to fix.

Give yourself credit for success: Often in the office when someone does something great or when things are going particularly well, the entire office is treated to a fancy lunch or everyone goes out for a drink. This is great for morale and can greatly improve motivation. Well, the same should go for you if you're working at home. If you get a big contract or finish a big project before schedule, treat yourself to something special. This could mean having a small party, buying yourself something special or even just going out for a drink with a friend. Those little things can go a long way to keeping your spirits up and keeping you going when times get tough.