When you work from home full time, the lure of long lie ins, all day pyjama wearing and Netflix is powerful. People often ask home workers how on earth they get anything done when the temptation to sneak off to lunch with a friend or play computer games for hours on end must be so strong. With no boss to nag you or no colleagues to give you judgemental looks for not doing any work, people running businesses like Raring2go! from home need to find ways to keep themselves on the straight and narrow. The following are some tips to help home working franchisees and the self-employed stay motivated.
Get Out of Bed
Yes, that does sound extremely obvious but it is very tempting to do the home-working equivalent of that student habit of sitting up in bed in the morning, picking up a book and beginning to study. Having a nice lie-in also seems like a good idea at the time but both these habits can be motivation killers. Doctors and therapists help people who suffer from sleep problems by advising them to have a routine around going to bed which lets their brain know that it’s time to sleep. The same principle applies when getting up and getting ready for work in the morning. If you stay in bed, your brain thinks it should still be sleeping or relaxing and getting an early start is good for making you feel like you’ve accomplished something early on in the day which is a great motivator.
Ditch the PJs
Getting dressed is part of the ‘get up in the morning routine to get your brain ready for work. You’re also more likely to move about and even get out of the house when you are dressed which is also important in keeping motivated.
Move it, Move it
Physically moving about is essential for good mental and physical health but also good for motivation. Sitting in one place staring at a screen saps your energy and, even though it feels really counter-intuitive, getting up and walking away from a task you’re struggling with is actually a good way of getting it done. Similarly, if a task is getting you down, move on to another one and come back to it. There’s nothing that destroys motivation more or is as unproductive as staring at a screen being stuck on something. Chopping and changing what you do throughout the day will keep you going rather than slaving away at one thing all day. Getting outside at least once a day is also a very good idea as not doing so is bad for your mental health and getting out can give you a boost on a low energy day.
Treat Yourself
Procrastination happens to the best of us and trying to avoid it completely often leads to the staring blankly at the screen thing. Lots of home workers like to motivate themselves by promising themselves a treat if they finish a certain task or work until a certain time. They use food, drink, TV programmes and trips to the shops. Oddly enough, you can also use procrastination as a promise to yourself. If you finish a piece of work, you can allow yourself fifteen minutes of procrastination before starting the next one. Sounds odd, but it works.
These are all little tips to help keep people who work at home motivated. The big one though, is remembering all the good things about working at home like the freedom to choose your own hours, the autonomy to make your own decisions and the chance to spend quality time with your family and pets. Regularly remind yourself why you’re dragging yourself out a bed at 7am when you could lay in until 10am and it’ll be easier.
A franchise opportunity like Raring2go! is a great option for people who want to work at home but don’t feel ready to go 100% self employed. You get plenty of support and a network of people to talk to about any problems or issues you have – another great motivator – along with all the freedom you would want as a home worker.
Call our team on 01273 447101 or fill in your details here to find out if our franchise suits you.
