Working from home full-time for the past couple of months, I’ve discovered many things about myself. Including how easily sidetracked I can get at home. Hopefully you can learn from some of my mistakes!
I would like to clarify that I’ve really been working from home for a couple of years now…but only part time. Does that lend me any more credibility? 
It’s also slightly ironic I’m typing about this now since I didn’t really work at all today. Unless you count snapchatting and Instagramming…(you can follow me here and here)
Dave and I decided to take a trip up north to Duluth since we are leaving Minnesota for good in less than a week and I haven’t been to Duluth at all in the past two years. Duluth, Minnesota is a huge tourist attraction, in case you didn’t know.
We had some fun exploring and I’m so thankful we were able to travel there on a week day! (More on the whole trip on Friday though.)
Back to working from home and getting stuff done!
I figured if I struggled with getting stuff done while working from home, maybe others do as well. From the feedback I’ve gotten on Part One and on My Favorite Productivity Tools, you guys are finding this topic pretty helpful.
This really shouldn’t be surprising because
a. Working from home is becoming more and more common and
b. We have so. many. distractions these days!
I wanted to address the aspect of working home when there are other people around. Because other people can not only be distracting, but it can be a challenge to manage time and expectations while working from home.
Get Stuff Done While Working from Home (without damaging relationships)
Probably the biggest tip: separate work time from play time.
If you live with a significant other and are working from home, it might be challenging for them to know when you are working and when you are just mindlessly surfing the web…especially if you are doing work from your phone! Dave and I have both been frustrated with each other in this arena since I don’t have an office at this time that I can go into and shut the door.
Dave and I have figured out a couple of things to solve this:
1. Establish a work space.
I sit at my little desk in the living room to work. When I’m at the desk, I’m working. It’s a good signal to not talk to me. In a nice way. 
2. Writing out a rough “work schedule” on the calendar can help.
In addition to my café schedule, I would also put my “blog schedule” on the calendar as well as big due dates. Of course my schedule is flexible (one of the awesome things about blogging), but in general it helps me stick to a schedule and helps Dave know when we could make plans. Or really when he could watch a movie in the living room.
3. Work in increments and know when your next break is coming.
(check out the tool I use for this here)
If someone in your workspace wants to talk to you about something, it’s helpful to be able to say, “hey I’m excited to hear all about that, but I’m going to work for 23 more minutes first.”
I know I will have to work on this when I move back to the Daddio’s house in Nebraska because he always has lengthy stories to tell me. Sometimes by the time he is done telling me, I’ve completely forgotten what I was working on. Gotta love the Daddio, though!
4. Minimize distractions.
When I’m working, the tv can only have shows that I’ve seen a million times before (like 30 Rock, Parks and Rec, The Office, etc.) so I don’t feel the need to look over and get distracted.
5. Communication is key.
If I plan on working super late, I try to let Dave know. If he wants to go out to dinner with me, he checks with me to see what my schedule is. And if any part of the working from home bit isn’t working…talk about it!
6. Value your time.
Even though you are working from home, you are still working. I know it’s hard for others to understand that although you are at home, you are actually working.
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Little note about getting your family on board with your blogging from home (as opposed to working your typical job from home):
If you are serious about your blog, it’s important that your partner gets this.
I will be honest and say that it’s taken some time for Dave and I to see eye-to-eye in this arena and it’s totally understandable. The main idea for work in our society today is outside of the home, hired by an employer for 40 hours per week for a consistent paycheck twice per month. Blogging is nothing like that. Like, nothing like that.
I will say that once I showed Dave how much I was improving on the numbers and income side it made it a little easier (one reason to keep track of your numbers on a monthly basis).
I also make it a point to show him how excited I get about certain milestones, certain recognition/comments and certain campaigns so that he can share my joy. I even paid him a little bit to help me with photography in my Grilled S’mores Banana Boats (why not??).
It’s fun to work on projects together AND to have someone who is supportive slash who I can bounce ideas off of. (Does Dave really need to get a job?? I’m kind of loving having a cheap assistant! )
You might also enjoy:
What I Like and Dislike About Working From Home
My Favorite Productivity Tools
Get Stuff Done While Working From Home (part 1)
Get Shit Done Even If You’re Totally Unmotivated via The Nectar Collective
I will be back Friday with some yummy foodie photos and more stuff from our trip to Duluth!
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