If you've ever worked from home you'll realise that
its not as easy, fun or relaxing as it sounds.

People who've never done it either assume
you're out of work or that you're lazing around
doing nothing just waiting for them to drop in
or ring up for a chat!

Good News!
Here's seven ways to stay sane working from home - and have fun doing it:


1. Separate Work from Home (Your home office is not your castle)

2. Time Management is Your New Best Friend (Time is Money)

3. Organise, Organise, Organise (Then do it again)

4. Take a Break and Relax (Keep your nose to the Grindstone, and you'll have no nose)

5. Give yourself a Chance. (Why letting yourself down might be just what you need)

6. Say NO! No, No, No, No, NO! (Go on. It feels so good.)

7. Get a Life. (A real one. With people and everything)

The first (and hardest) thing you need to do to keep your sanity
is to let those nearest and dearest know that when you are working
from home you ARE working. Be nice, but explain that this is your office,
and let them know your hours and when you're available.

If they randomly show up on the doorstep or ring
every five minutes for a chat, tell them you really
appreciate them thinking of you but you're really
busy with work and would love to catch up outside of work hours.
Make a genuine time, so they don't feel like you are just brushing them off.

And stick to it.
If you break your own rules you make it harder for them
to take your working from home seriously.

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Time Management is like achieving Perfect Body.
We all know what we are supposed to do to get rippling abs -
exercise, eat well, exercise some more
- but its such a drag doing all the hard work to get there!

Time Management is the same - it's not most peoples favourite thing to do,
but well worth the effort.

So what to do?
Here are some easy ways to achieve a schedule
that will leave you with the perfect balance
of work, play and chocolate. (oops, I mean exercise).

Make Lists, Buy a Diary, use a Wall Planner.
Anything that you can use to keep track of what you need to do
and when you need to do it at one easy glance.
Oh, and remember to check it daily and keep it up to date!
(You won't remember unless you write it down. Truly.)

Prioritise + Break it up
First things first. We all say it, never do it.
Make a list of everything you need to do that day.
(including frequent, short breaks).
Priority: 1.Do small easy tasks first to get them out of the way.
2. Most important tasks next.
3. Have a big daunting task? Break it up into small chunks and spread it out -
otherwise you will feel like you are spending days working
but achieving nothing.
4. Plan to do at least three different type of task each day.
You will feel like you have achieved more and it also adds interest.

Give yourself a big fat tick
Sounds silly, but ticking things off your list as you go
makes you feel like you are making progress and gives you a sense of achievement!
This will give you motivtion to continue.
So go on - reward yourself with a big one!

Work during your best time + Check your energy levels
No point dragging yourself out of bed at 6am to fit in an hours
work before the kids get up if your brain doesn't kick in until 11.
Figure out when you are most alert and active and plan your work around that.

If you are a night owl and are most alert after 10 at night,
plan your most important, creative or brain draining tasks for then.
That doesn't mean the rest of the day is a write off.
If you have an hour at 6am still get up, but be nice to yourself
and do simple, easy or mundane tasks until the grey cells start ticking over.

For the same reason - if you need a break take it!
Otherwise you're wasting your own time as well as your energy.

Start!
Just get in and do it.
Quick and easy like ripping off a bandaid.
(or a sticking plaster, depending on your location :))

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Some people are natural organisers. They are rub their hands together in glee at the thought of straightening up that messy wardrobe or getting that kitchen sparkling clean.
Think Monica Geller-Bing from "Friends".

You will know them by the lists stuck to their fridges, above their desks,
on their mirrors, in their cars, popping out of handbags...
You know the type - they always have working pens,
tissues in their purses and antibacterial wash in their glovebox.
Not that there is anything wrong with that.

But you're not like that - and its ok, we're here to help.

You must be organised to be efficient. Here's how to do it for those who,
when it comes to being organised, are more slapdash than flash:

Bit by bit.
If its your filing cabinet that is out of order don't pull out everything and create a bigger mess.
You'll only get overwhelmed and be less organised that before.
Start with a drawer, or even a file and work from there.

Use a system that works for you
Look at the sites listed below until you find a system that you like,
then pull it apart and make it your own.
Remember its to help you be more organised.
Theres no point filing by colour if you can't remember what the colours stand for -
don't be afraid to keep refining until you find a system that works for you.

Simple, Clean, Straight.
The best systems are simple, but even the best system in the world has to be maintained to be effective.
Think about why you're doing this.
Yeah, its a pain to walk straight to the filing cabinet after you've read that letter and file it, but it'll save you half an hour next week when you can't remember where you put it.
Or worse. Can't find it because you put it "somewhere safe".

Visit the links below to find some nifty organising tricks
and some tools that will help you keep more organised in general.

What will you do with all that free time?

Already Organised?
Find out how to be a Professional Organiser!

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Here are links to the best pages we've found on getting you organised!

Top 5 Ways To Get Organised
Ideas for Space Management, Organising your Desk, How to Be Organised all year round, and more...

How NOT to be Organised!
An excellent aussie site with loads of information on organisation systems and methods written by a professional organiser!

Wiki-How: How to Be Organised
Covers everything from making lists, to cleaning cupboards, to organising the files on your computer.

Already Organised?

How to be a Professional Organiser
Everything you need to know to become a Professional Organiser!

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One of the great benefits of working from home is the ability to set your own hours.
And make no mistake, a home business takes many hours of hard work.
If you push yourself too far though you'll run into all sorts of problems
- the worst two of which are:
1. your family resenting you and your business
2. You resenting your business - as you never take a break you'll find
it very hard to bring fresh ideas and creativity to your work,
you'll get sick of it and let it fail.

But there is a way!

Take a break!
Remember how we talked about time management?
Don't forget to schedule in regular breaks.
Not a break from the computer so you can make those
important phone calls but a proper break.

Indulgence.
Eat cake.
Watch MASH reruns.
Take a half hour soak in the bath.
Why not? Thats why you're working from home isn't it? :)

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You didn't make a million dollars in your first week online?
Devastating! Yes.
Realistic? Noooo.

Guess what? Things don't always work out.
Sometimes its the wrong time,
the wrong place or the wrong people.

Most of the time it is you.
Yes, you!

You don't give yourself a break, do you?
Thats the problem, being your own worst enemy,
setting unrealistic goals and deadlines
only sets you up to see yourself as a failure - no matter how well you are doing.

I'm not suggesting you slack off -
just give yourself a chance.

Aim for the stars, but if you do
everything you can and you don't make it -
its ok if you only make it halfway there today.

Remember there is still tomorrow,
you can get there then.

So, write a list of realistic goals,
stretch yourself just a little more each day
and you will achieve everything you want
and be a lot happier along the way.

If Donald Trump can find time for golf,
and Kerry Packer found time for his Polo
then you can find time too.

Its a terrible cliche, but its a cliche for a reason:
You only fail when you stop trying.
Just believe it, and keep on going.

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No, no no!

How can two little letters be so hard to say?
We are all guilty of saying the big YES to something
we instantly regret.

I used to be the person running around trying to
make two hundred pairs of earrings
with one hand (true story - dont ask), make a bookshelf with the other
while volunteering for any organisation that chanced upon my doorstep.
You know what happened? Burnout.
I dropped out of all of them (or was politely kicked out).

I couldn't be everything to all people,
and I was being even less to the people who really
deserved my time - family and friends.

And that single realisation - that I was giving more, being nicer to
and spending more time with complete strangers in a week
than I had with my spouse all year was enough for me to do it the first time...

A big fat No.

It felt naughty.
It felt great!

And so liberating!
Don't shout it, don't swear it, just politely smile
say you appreciate them thinking of you and decline.
If that isn't working try a little hint of guilt by saying how little
you have seen your family this
week and you really need to spend time
with (insert relative here) as you have been flat out at work.
Always be honest! They deserve the truth, and do you honestly want that extra bit of guilt lying will give you?

You don't have to give up everything, just prioritise your time and choose wisely.
Don't feel guilty, choose to help people because you WANT to help them.

Do volunteer work, it is good for the soul - but do it selectively, wisely.
Then they get the best of you too.

I think you'll find when it comes to saying "No" -
once you pop you can't stop. :)

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It is so easy to isolate yourself
when you live in the same place you work.

Its good when you need to occasionally work
late into the night and the bed is only a hallway away,
but its terrible for relationships and overworking.

Make an effort to reach out and make contact with people.

Of course, your family and friends are the most important people
and you should always make quality time a priority for them.
Don't limit yourself just to family - try going on a walk in your break,
visit the local coffee shop or the library
(yes they still exist despite Wikipedia).

Try smiling at someone without using a keyboard. :)

This might not sound hard if you've just started out,
but it so easy to get caught in the routine of
feeling that the longer you stayed glued to the monitor,
the better your business will be.

So go on - stand up right now, have a stretch,
play a board game with your kids, take the dog for a
walk or even just smile at your postie when you collect your mail.

They will love you for it, and your life becomes
easier as you find yourself less stressed and
much happier.

Who knows? This might be the start of a beautiful friendship...
or a new customer at least :)

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Sounds easy, hey? Might start next week?
Stop Procrastinating - You need this now!
What have you got to lose?

7 ways to Stay Sane Working from Home - TO DO LIST

1. Separate Work from Home
Tell Family and Friends your work hours and stick to them.
Be nice, but firm.

2. Time Management is Your New Best Friend
Prioritise your tasks and keep them on hand in lists,
in a diary, or wall planner.
Plan small easy tasks first, followed by most important tasks.
Break big tasks into small chunks.
Do at least 3 different tasks every work day. (Even if they are small)
Work during your best time and check your energy levels.
Be flexible and plan in regular breaks.

3. Organise, Organise, Organise
Find a simple system that works for you.
Refine it until it suits you.
Organise a piece at a time and then maintain your system.

4. Take a Break and Relax
Schedule in frequent breaks.
Remeber to take days off and take a holiday.
This will help you remember why what you're doing is all worth it!
A relaxed, happy mind is a productive one.

5. Give yourself a Chance.
Be Realistic, set reachable goals and don't be discouraged by setbacks.
You only fail when you stop trying!

6. Say NO! No, No, No, No, NO!
Say no to anything that is stopping you from:
- being productive and growing your business
- spending time with people you love
- spending time doing things you love
- (most importantly) being happy!

7. Get a Life.
Get out of the house, interact with people on a daily basis
and all of a sudden, life is great again!
You can do anything! I know it :)

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