1. Maintain regular working hours and stick to them.
2. Get a separate phone line, computer and printer that are only used for your business.
3. Keep your workspace separate from your living space. Ideally it should be visually and acoustically separate from the living quarters.
4. To gauge your progress maintain goals and to do lists. On Sunday night or Monday morning create a plan for the week. At the end of the week take time to reflect on your progress.
5. Find other independent workers or a personal coach to give you feedback on your ideas and progress.
6. If you are working with a team, have frequent telephone and email conversations with the members of the team. This helps to keep the project on track and allows team members to anticipate and prepare for problems.
7. Document your work and learn to do this in laser like language.
8. Request frequent feedback from clients and managers so that you are sure you are satisfying their expectations continually. Without daily contact it is hard to read people. Most people find it difficult to give negative feedback. At the end of a project they may accept it as is even though they are disappointed with the result. Ongoing feedback helps avoid this problem.
9. Have regular breaks during your day. Be creative in you way of relaxing. Meditation, a cup of coffee, a snack, a walk, are examples of ways to stop what you are doing to re-energize.
10. Set clear boundaries. Neighbors, friends, and family must know that your office is off bounds. Even though you are home every day you are working. Have a no interruption policy during working hours.
Alvah Parker is a Business and Career Coach, Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst, and SCORE(Service Corp of Retired Executives)business counselor.
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