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Home » Business And Finance Articles » Seven Tips For Workathome Motivation

Seven Tips For Work-At-Home Motivation

Considering a work-from-home business? Clients often say their biggest fear is loss of momentum. Here are ten tips to keep yourself motivated and productive.

(1) Build structure into your day.

Create a schedule and To Do list every evening for the next day, before you sign off for the day. (And yes â€" it is important to sign off, even if you return later to complete a project.) Include breaks and email reading time.

(2) Define goals by numbers ("write 1000 words") instead of time ("2 hours on Mega account"). One of the joys of working at home is you get to quit when you're finished ahead of schedule.

(2) Train friends and neighbors to respect your working hours.

Clients tell me about neighbors who say things like, "I told the UPS truck to leave the package at your house since you're always home." Discourage phone calls with a prepared response, like "I will call you after four o'clock today." You will be tested. Prepare to hang tough.

(3) Get the family on board.

Deal with their concerns before you start and be prepared to show how you are creating a win-win situation. Clarify what counts as an emergency â€" a valid reason to interrupt while you are working - and what can wait till dinnertime.

(4) Build breaks into your schedule.

When I started my own business, I was warned, "Plan to get out of the house! Otherwise you'll never leave your desk."

Frankly, I didn't get it.

Why wouldn't I take breaks? Now as I find myself answering just one more email, or adding two more paragraphs to an article, I see the clock move and realize I must stop if I want to get to the gym or the store before closing time.

Bonus Tip: A dog will force you to get moving, no matter what else is going on in your life.

(5) Make promises you will be motivated to keep.

My weekly ezine motivates me to write at least one article a week. You may be energized by company and client deadlines.

As your responsibilities grow, you will tend to accumulate more and more "real" deadlines and it's easier to stay motivated. But in the early stages, you're isolated, you're working hard and results don't appear immediately. That's why some people hire coaches and consultants to create accountability.

(7) Give yourself time to test your commitment.

Not everyone enjoys the work-at-home option. My clients tell me they need six to twelve months to decide how they are responding to this arrangement. You may decide to return to a workplace where you can see real people everyday. Or you may get hooked on having a dog-friendly, gossip-free workplace where you can open the windows all year round.

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

Ozana Giusca Interview

Ozana Giusca is someone who knows how to spot an opportunity.

With the rapid development of Eastern Europe, she had a sense that there was a lack of quality resources available to companies in both Bulgaria and Romania to establish successful business ventures. In addition to this, she also found that Western companies needed quality advice when trying to business in the Eastern European Market. Put the two ideas together and Bridge Europe Consulting was born...

The Interview

DS: What inspired you to set up Bridge Europe Consulting Ltd?

OG: Two things inspired me:

(i) The lack of resources amongst Romanians and Bulgarians to develop successful projects,

(ii) the need for provision of professional services at international standards, for Western companies considering setting up operations in Romania and Bulgaria.

On the other hand, i was helping people with advice, as well as contacts â€" now I do the same, but I charge for it.

DS: Did you have any help setting up the company or were you going it alone?

OG: I set it up entirely on my own. However, I did have few brainstorming sessions with the consultants I work with â€" these are professionals with various skills, that I outsource specific tasks to.

DS: What was the biggest challenge you faced in bringing your idea to fruition? How was it overcome?

OG: Getting people to pay for consulting services. Persuasion, and development of good relationships with prospective clients always helps.

DS: What makes you most proud about your achievements with Bridge Europe Consulting Ltd?

OG: Even though very young, it is a brand that people already know and trust.

DS: How did you actually fund your business to get it off the ground?

OG: From revenues. The initial investment was extremely low, and we have started generating income from the very beginning. These days, all you need is a laptop with Internet connection, and a mobile phone.

DS: What attributes make a successful entrepreneur?

OG: Drive and hard work. Having a goal and desire for success.

You also have to love what you are doing and to believe in what you are doing.

DS: What do you believe are the necessary elements for a business venture to succeed?

OG: Satisfy a need, find a niche market, have the right 'offering' (in terms of packaging, pricing, positioning), have an appropriate action plan, with set targets and milestones. Have the appropriate mixture of skills within the team. Most important, DELIVER!

DS: How essential do you see a University education in achieving success as an entrepreneur?

OG: I do not think it is essential, but I think it is valuable. Higher education gives you a prospective and a structured approach. However, if one has the right attitude, it can be done.

DS: What are the three most important lessons you have learned about business and entrepreneurship?

OG: The three important lessons are:

(1) get things documented - get agreements on paper, do not rely on what people say

(2) execute mandates, and market your services at the same time. Grow your business as fast as you can.

(3) continuously expand your network (of friends, business partners, potential suppliers, anything)

DS: What advice would you give to an aspiring entrepreneur?

Don't only dream about it! Do it!

DS: What's the number one book you would you recommend to aspiring entrepreneurs?

OG: I think people need different types of books, so I would rather not say any. It is a matter of taste, but also a matter of personal qualifications, background and understanding. People get motivated and incentivised by different things.

DS: What memorable mistakes, if any, have you made in business? What did you learn from them and how can they be avoided?

OG: Once I hadn't entirely assessed the client's abilities and understanding, and I had embarked on a project relying on his professionalism - which I learnt afterwards was totally missing. I ended up spending a lot of time educating the client - which was of course not paid for. From now, I will ensure the client knows exactly what needs to be done and especially, what are his/her responsibilities. It may sound too strong, but I ensure that the client is able to deliver, prior to signing the mandate.

DS: What are the best and worst things about being an entrepreneur?

OG: Best: Freedom, total control of your life. Huge satisfaction when success is reached. Internal fulfillment... and the list can go on.

Worst: you are a small fish in a big ocean. At the very beginning, it is not easy to get people to treat you properly (I mean getting them to take you seriously - and not only when you deliver a report or give advice, but especially when they have to fulfill their contractual obligations). On the other hand, cash flow is instable, so great attention should be given to the cash position in the first year of operations.

DS: Are there any other thoughts, insights, or advice for aspiring entrepreneurs that you'd like to add?

OG: It is a fantastic experience. One cannot realise how rewarding it is, until he/she starts! Once on that path, you will never want to go back to the corporate world!