This is for those who work from home, either as a job or as their own boss running their own business. It is also for those thinking about working from home. Sometimes we just need some motivating tips for working from home, especially if you are new to it or not been doing it long.
Although in the last several month’s many people have had to get used to working from home during the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. The thing is, even if you have been doing it a while, it can still be a struggle to retain your focus for hours at a time.
Table of Contents
Here are some Motivating Tips for Working From Home
Dressing for Work
If you have a problem getting into work mode, consider what you are wearing. YourPJ’s? Comfies that have seen better days? Neither of those are telling you to get into work mode.
We are all different and some can wake up, grab a cuppa and the laptop and start work. Yep, that’s me! But and this is a big BUT, I have been working from home for 10 years. After long enough you can think yourself into work mode but when you start out it’s not that easy.
You can have a coffee break whenever you like. 
Then you think about the biscuit tin just sitting there calling your name, after all it’s a great idea to dunk some biscuits in your coffee. Sound familiar?
The postman appears, a family member turns up for a chat, knowing you are at home. Then suddenly, half the day is gone and you haven’t got anything done.
Dress the Part
There are a number of articles that find dressing for the office while working from home has a positive effect on mental state, creativity and focus.
A big part of dressing for work at home is that it allows you to create a distinction between relaxing at home and being in work mode. When you finish work, if you used to change out of your work clothes when you got home, then do the same now when working from home. It’s about having the right mindset.
Communicating your Intentions
Once you decide to work from home, if you intend to do regular hours then you need to make it clear to other members of the household. Have a conversation about boundaries and availability. That your worktime is between certain hours and you expect them to respect that. After all no one would be expecting to turn up at your office for coffee and a chat would they.
As time goes on and you become used to being disciplined about working hours you can swap them around.
I work on into the evening having taken time out to spend with the family during the day or doing shopping etc. I start early morning too, anytime from 5.00-6.00 a.m whenever I wake and do a few hours then.
Building a business
Building a business takes time and a lot of hard work. You may find at the start that you are doing longer hours than you expected. If you are really enjoying it, then it won’t be a chore, you will probably have a hard time dragging yourself away.
I must admit, I love my work and would happily be at my desk from early until late and sometimes get the chance to do just that. I never tire of it and that is how it should be.
If you are finding it a real chore and there is no excitement, then maybe your business niche isn’t right for you. Sometimes though, people just miss the interaction with other people and find they get lonely. If you live alone, it could be that your social life was connected to work, especially if you have moved away from where you grew up.
A home workspace
Having a designated work area can help in getting you into the right mindset for working. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy but working in an area where there are constant distractions isn’t the best place to be.
I started off in the spare room which was good but it wasn’t considered to be MY office as it contained a bed and wardrobe, besides my desk and shelves.
Plus, as a spare room, it often became a dumping ground for miscellaneous objects that didn’t immediately have a home. Other family members would feel it was okay to go in there and move my things around or look for things, not that it happened often but that wasn’t the point. The thing is that you are still far too easily accessible to anyone and everyone.
If you can have a room that is just yours, it makes it easier. I now have an office in the garden. As I walk down the garden it puts me into working mode. No one goes in without permission, they have no need, it only holds my work things.
Finding a Balance
If you work for someone else this should be easier to do, finding that life and work balance. With a job you have set hours or set work that needs to be done. When you work for yourself and are building a business those lines become blurred. If you have a family spending every spare minute on your business won’t go down well.
Not only that you do need some time out to relax and connect with other people. Too many hours working nonstop can find you making mistakes, big or small or just losing focus. Perhaps even concentrating on something that is minor rather than the important things that will move you forwards quicker.
So then you are not only upsetting loved ones but also not moving your business in the right direction.
Get everyone on board
Now that sounds simple, doesn’t it? That’s because it is. You sit your family down and tell them what you are doing. Let them know that at first, it will be time consuming and a lot of work to build up. Point out that you are doing it for the future of all and that it will get better and easier after many months or even a year or so.
Does that seem a long time? Trust me, it’s not. When you are busy and focused it flies by.
Today’s World
With the Pandemic still going strong, ebbing and then flowing back with more infections occurring, normality is slow to return.
If you are able to work from home at least you are still employed. For those that were proactive during the first lockdown and started a business while you were furloughed, well done. I suspect your business will be coming along nicely. 
Depending upon the are you went into you may not be earning yet but are definitely building solid foundations, especially if that’s affiliate marketing.
Or perhaps you looked and found work you could do online, writing for others, website building, creating graphics etc. If you are sensible, you will keep that going, even if you have gone back to work. At best it is extra money, at worst, it will supply something to live on.
With an uncertain future at this time, many people losing their jobs, with restrictions constantly in place and the threat of new lockdowns more and more people are looking at ways to work from home.
It’s an Ideal Solution
I love working from home. It can be tough at first, follow the tips above to ensure you get the work done rather than thinking, maybe later.
If you are just starting to look online for work or to start a small business, there is no better time.
Is there too much competition?
From Statista.com:
- How many people use the internet?
- Almost 4.57 billion people were active internet users as of July 2020, encompassing 59 percent of the global population. China, India and the United States rank ahead all other countries in terms of internet users.
That’s a lot of people and it’s still growing which shows that it’s a massive market place. Especially now with so many more buying, even basic provisions, via the internet.
So, what are you waiting for?
Ahhh…. what do I recommend? Wealthy Affiliate! The best place to learn about any type of online business, with excellent training, hosting, security, support and an amazing community. There are a lot of changes going on as the platform grows and improves even more. Read more about it HERE!
I also recommend you try it for FREE first. Have a look round, have a go at the training and build a website to see what you think before taking the step of investing in your future!
If you enjoyed this post, please share.
Questions and comments welcome.
Working from home is a very good idea as good as it is, it can be very difficult to get through because you’ll have all the comfort you can get in your house and to some of us, that’s really not too good. These motivating tops are gonna be helpful in putting people to place and help them get through their businesses.
Thank you for your comments James. Very glad you found the tips helpful.
It can take some time to get used to working from home but once you do, it’s wonderful.
The tips that you have shared here are both massive and really great. I can resonate so well with this here and I see the tips as something that we should all know as business owners trying to make it on our own.
Surely worthy to see here. The tips make so much sense. Thank you for sharing this with us.
The tips can help whether you are just starting out or been working from home for a while. Once you are working on your business fu time it’s worth knowing the way you get your mindset into work mode. That way you can travel and still work.
Thank you for your comments.
Hello there! I don’t particularly work from home but I have always wanted to but did not know how to go about it. I think this article will be really helpful when i finally start working from home as plans are already in place. I will make sure to share this with my friends who already do work from home.
I think many people want to work from home but don’t understand how hard it can be to stay focussed with so many distractions.
Glad this helped you Sophie. Thank you for your comments.
Working form home can be at times stressful and difficult especially when there are children around to create some distraction. It is very important to create a special room for yourself when working at home to create some level of privacy. But the question is is it possible to work an online work and to do a career job.
I agree, family can be distracting. Having your own space is important so they know that when you are there it is work time.
It is possible to do both but it does take a lot of discipline. It depends which you want the most, your own business or the career in the real world. If the career, the online job can be kept ticking over and grown slowly. Otherwise its grow the online one as fast as you can.
Thank you for your comments.
When I saw that picture of a guy sitting with his laptop, I laughed a bit. I said to myself that this is me. I can spend all day on my system in bed, couch, and every way possible. And because of this I don’t have a time to start work and time to stop. I haven’t had a taught to do anything like dressing for work.
It’s now I’ve come to understand how important it is. Dressing for work even if we’re not actually going out, but for our online business is important because it gives us a sense of working for someone, and in return makes us very discipline. I love this article and will try to work on this. You mentioned about about Wealthy Affiliate. Do they also have courses for professionals? Because I’m not a newbie to digital marketing.
Many who have worked at home for years can work well without many of these tips Kelvin, which is fine.
There are many though that do need the outward trappings to get into the right mindset, hence this post.
Glad you enjoyed this post and found it helpful.
I think that Wealthy Affiliate can aid most levels of expertise. The set training is more for newbies or those not far ahead but the training available from long term members is more advanced.
To be honest, the platform is worth it for the hosting, 10 websites, the very fast support, the security at no extra cost, the extensive training and fantastic community. I admit, I am biased, I love it even after 18 months.
You can sign up for free, check it out, ask questions and see what you think. It’s worth that little bit of time.