Operating your small business while working at home: How to prepare yourself to succeed

Tips for running a successful small business from home

How can you prepare yourself for success when running a small business from your home? Here are some ideas.

While flexibility is beneficial, it’s often all too easy to answer those emails from home or at family time. Not only does this occupy your attention, it also can create expectations of availability. It’s also more difficult to shut off and reduce stress.

So, how can you keep from all of this?

Get creative with your workspace

An excellent work from home is to clearly divide your work and home spaces.

A space or room that is exclusively for work is crucial, as the physical distance could result in mental separation and make it more easy to turn off your work at the day’s end. The right desk, office chair, and a storage system will help set you up to be successful.

Also, we suggest taking the time to make your workplace look and feel inviting. And research suggests personalising your workspace can be a good way to boost productivity.

"I have a huge cabin and a kitchen that provides enough space for my items as well as other items. It’s my little sanctuary. It smells wonderful and I have full rights over the music!"

Injecting a bit of imagination into your workplace could make a huge impact.

"I’ve tried to make my office a space that I enjoy being in. There’s a row of bright, red roses around the table behind my computer. I hang all our big feather costumes out on the floor so that I can see them, and I have a quilted blanket that my mom made me on my desk."

If you’re working from home when you’re in the middle of an epidemic, these creature comforts can be the difference.

Mimic your normal work boundaries

While some might let work to infiltrate their daily lives however, it’s best to be strict about not letting this happen. This means no laptops on the kitchen bench and no packing orders in the living room.

The presence of boundaries helps to maximize the value of your work day from home.

We should follow the same rules that we’d face in our normal workplace. For instance, you’d not reply to emails popping up if you were in a live meeting with a colleague or client therefore, you shouldn’t be doing it in the course of a Zoom meeting.

If you are working at home, it might be tempting to attend to every phone call or email notification immediately but engaging in this behavior isn’t going to be helpful in the long run.

Stop receiving email notifications so that you can focus on your task and not be distracted. Then, only check your inbox every an hour or so.

Find a method that you enjoy and keep it up to date

The ability to establish a routine while working from home is very crucial.

A set time for starting work with breaks to exercise during the work day as well as a consistent time for when works is finished, are all crucial. Sticking to a routine and putting structure around your daily tasks will make you much more productive.

"If you have 3 massages scheduled I’ll block each one in turn Also, I will keep in a schedule that has time for coffee breaks, lunch and other needs."

Each morning, she take the time to ask yourself questions such as "What are the objectives or milestones I’m required to achieve today?" and "What’s going through my head currently? ".

Certain people are drawn to routine and find doing daily gratitude exercises to be beneficial.

Write down three things that you are grateful for everyday and take the time to write down your to-do list before bed or at the beginning of the morning. It can help get you into a positive mindset and put you at in a relaxed state.

Be an advocate for your own mental wellbeing

When you’re at home working, you can go all day without having to see anyone else. Therefore, you need to know how to advocate for your health and wellbeing by practicing self-care.

Be realistic about the work you can get done especially if you’re homeschooling your kids and make sure you take regular breaks to re-energise.

Research shows that, following the SARS quarantine period, some people had signs of psychological anxiety, and taking the time to talk with your family, friends and clients is paramount.