I am often asked how I manage working from home. People tell me that they aren’t disciplined enough to do it and that they would goof off all day.
There is no magical solution as to whether you have the discipline or not.
And how I deal with this issue is really quite simple.
If I don’t find the discipline to work and I goof off, I will eventually run out of money and my daughter and I won’t have a place to live or food to eat.
I do have some money saved so we could go for awhile without me doing any work but it would eventually run out. Not wanting to be hungry is very motivating.
That being said, I think I was born disciplined. I was one of those people who would have my school papers done before the due date and only in rare cases miss deadlines. So, that probably helps.
But, discipline isn’t magic and needing to support yourself and your family is enough for me to get my work done.
How about you? Do you have discipline? What do you do when you don’t feel like working?
photo credit: grotuk
While we probably wouldn’t go hungry for a long time since my husband has his retirement income there are certainly things we couldn’t do if I didn’t work. I used to travel much more so the discipline to get the work done was huge. I now struggle a bit more with discipline since I am home much more. There are so many distractions.
But I find that if I have milestones and deadlines on a project and a written list for what needs to get done each day, then I stay more structured. I do like that I can do my errands during the week instead of the weekend when everyone else is doing theirs. It just means I have to know when I am going to make up that time to get the work done.
Some days I find it a bigger struggle than others but a disappointed client weighs on my mind heavily so that helps too.
Thanks for sharing what works for you.
Hi Pat – One of my biggest distractions is the cats. Watching them lay around and sleep all day makes me want to do the same thing :-)
We do receive child support, which isn’t enough to pay the rent but I suppose would keep us from going hungry.
And I agree about errands – I rarely get groceries etc on the weekend. I find the best time to go is right after I bring Alex to school.
Though I was born disciplined, these days if I don’t feel like working one morning or one afternoon, I don’t.
I think we who are in business for ourselves have this kind of freedom, but have gotten so conditioned by the corporate model of “8 to 5” that we work all the time because it’s what we think we need to do to succeed and put food on the table. Busyness is just busyness. Productive and effective is something else.
That being said, I have developed a “master calendar planning” system that I use for myself and with my clients. It is my guide for when I work on business development tasks, when I serve clients, when I do administrative work and when I stop working, too. It is developed around my revenue needs, my high priority business activities, and fits my natural ebbs and flow of energy in the day.
A simple, short list of projects and tasks for the week, developed on Monday, guides my actual actions for the week.
Hi Joan – That’s true – if I really feel out of sorts or if it’s beautiful out I stop working and make it up later. When I first started I was trying to do the 9-5 thing and that didn’t work for me. I’m a morning person and do my best work before lunchtime. So, I usually start really early, take a break to bring my daughter to school and then work til 3. I may answer emails later in the day but all my work that takes a clear head is usually done before noon.
It’s very difficult but not impossible, You need to create certain habits that will help you stay disciplined.
Get up at the same time everyday, create a dedicated office space, get dressed in work attire (yes it sounds silly, but it may even include the dress shoes) and create specific goals you want to accomplish every work day.
Just some ideas.
Hi Ziad – The getting dressed for work thing doesn’t work for me. And I hate wearing shoes so I’m not going to wear them at my desk ;-) But, routines are a really good idea.
This has always been a real issue for me.
Back in early 2000 I was forced to work from home full time due to physical disabilities. I always wanted to, but wasn’t ready too financially. I have been living “at home” ever since…yep, with mom and dad.
It was always a mutual thing, I helped them out as well, since they were getting up in years. Now it is coming down to the wire.
Dad passed last week, and mom, even in good shape, is 81. If I don’t start earning a real steady full time income soon…..
Yea, if I knew then what i know now, I wouldn’t have flubbed around the first couple yrs, but then again, perhaps that makes me a good coach for beginners. lol
Hi Dennis – I’m so sorry about your Dad.
I guess since your Mom is getting older it would be a good time to plan on your next steps. Maybe you would continue to live in her house …? That’s what my brother did after my Mom passed away. Other than the property taxes and utilities it’s really affordable for him.
Thanks Kim. :)
Here on Long Island, those two things alone are pretty put there. Besides, my brother, who I do not get along with, will have something to spout about I’m sure.
For me, when I work at home, I have the opposite problem. I need to set limits for myself, and say This is when I stop working and start enjoying time with my family. I hardly ever slack off when I work at home
Hi Henway – That’s a good point. When work is at home it can become something you do all the time. I know when I first started I would check my emails until late at night – now I usually try to ignore them after 5 or 6pm.
Motivation is something I suffer from, but the fear of being homeless, not being able to eat and not being able to go out all give me a slap and make me get back to work. :)
Hi Dean – Yeah, needing to cover the basic necessities can be very motivating.
For me, social media is a part-time job. My day job pays the bills, so it’s easy to forget about the things I need to do on my blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc. To fight that, I try set concrete tasks for myself on a regular schedule.
Hi Lauren – A regular schedule can make things easier to complete. I have a master one for home, work, kid, etc … I even have things like “clean litter box” on it otherwise I would never remember to do it.
Hi Kim! I”m a little disorganized sometimes so I always have a planner always with me to remind me always of the things I need to do. It really motivates me to work every time I see my children because I wanted them to have a better future so life will be easy for them.
I find as single parent that works for myself that I have to be organized. I also find that the older I get the less I can store in my brain so I have to put it all down on a calendar.
I liked the bold statement there. I will surely be hungry too if I will not work hard especially at home. I am single but I’m struggling with my time management and laziness. Sometimes I really make a time frame schedule just for me to have a harmonious work with my office work, blogging, freelancing, resting, and with my friends. However due to some extent, my time is not enough. Oh gosh I need more sleep.
Thanks for sharing. You just let me think to be serious in this aspect of time management.
Hi – If I only had to worry about myself I might be a lazier and have more time management issues. And, like anyone, I have days where I just can’t focus.
I have been working from home since summer of 2005. I really really struggle with it. You would think my home would be spotless but I am disorganized and really struggle with motivation/laziness at times. It isn’t all the time but it is too often. I am a single parent of a little girl too and I think I live in la la land if I can make whatever money I have saved go for a while. I think my problem is that I am complacent and in the same job role since 1998. I have gotten medications but do not remember or commit to taking them for depression or ADD. I think I have depression and ADD ! It is so good to read that I am not alone.