Productivity Tips For Those Of Us Who Are Self-Employed

Work at home? Want a few pointers on how to be more productive throughout your work day? Here are a few to get you started.

5 Productivity Tips For Those Of Us Who Are Self-Employed

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Most of us have thought about storming out of our workaday jobs and working from home at one point or another. Of course, you have to be a special kind of ambitious or crazy to actually go through with it.

Becoming your own boss sounds like a grand adventure with no downside, but I'm here to tell you that it's way more work than you might think. Maintaining your productivity and keeping your nose to the proverbial grindstone is an hourly battle.

Here are some warnings, along with some small nuggets of wisdom if you're looking to make the transition from office drone to master of your domain.

Just Because You're Home All Day Doesn't Mean You're Available All Day

One of the big battles you're going to end up fighting is convincing your friends and loved ones that what you do counts as gainful employment. Your phone is going to ring while you're trying to get work done, I guarantee it.

The trick is to convince yourself that the person on the other end of the line most likely hasn't been in a terrible auto accident and calling for help, or that there probably isn't some family emergency in the next state over. If you're working from home, you'd do well to leave your phone in the other room, or turn it off. You'll have enough distractions as it is.

Make Yourself Comfortable

This one's a fine line, but it's important. If you're setting up a home office, you'll want to make sure it's a place you won't mind spending a great deal of time. If your work will have you in front of the computer, you'll want to invest in a quality desk and chair. Your lumbar will thank you.

On the other hand, don't make yourself so comfortable that you're going to nod off during the day. You'll also want to take the time to make your workspace welcoming. Decorate a little bit and check out these tips on organizing your workspace for maximum productivity.

Shut Out Distractions

If, like me, your career as a self-made (wo)man working from home depends on using the computer for the better part of each day, you're going to find out in due time that there are literally billions of distractions that seek to pull you away from your work.

Being your own boss will require a lot of self-control. You're going to feel a war raging inside your head every minute of every day, asking yourself Do I go visit YouTube again? I wonder what's happening on Reddit! Learning to master yourself is of paramount importance if you're ever going to get anything done. If you're particularly weak, you might even think about taking drastic measures, such as unplugging your router or using an app to restrict Internet access to work-related tasks.

One last note, you're going to have to train yourself to ignore the whimpering and pleading from your cats when they beg you to play for the fifteenth time that day. Lock them in the bathroom or chuck them outside. They're never going to understand the demands of the lifestyle of the self-employed.

Save Your Money

Here's the big one, the golden rule if you will. Perhaps the biggest transition you'll have to face in going to work for yourself will be the lack of a regular, predictable paycheck. Your financial footing will be tenuous at best, particularly in the beginning. Make sure you've got a bit of a safety net before you flip off your boss and storm out to seek your own fortunes.

After that, make sure you've mastered your spendthrift nature. Until you've found more certain financial footing, you'll want to know that you'll be able to make your rent payments on time. Your productivity will improve in unexpected ways if you're not distracted with financial worries.

We All Work for Ourselves

It might not always feel like it, but we all work for ourselves, don't we? Even if it feels like we're just a small cog in a big machine, we get up and go to work every day to safeguard our own present and future, nobody else's.

If you're looking for a new challenge, though, becoming your own boss can be exceptionally rewarding. Just make sure you know what you're getting into before you take the plunge.