How To Get Shit Done When You Work From Home

I don’t have a shitty hour and fifteen-minute commute anymore, I cook most of my lunches, and who wouldn’t want to be in there home all day?

The problem that I’m seeing and hearing, is when I tell people I work from home, they immediately say “I could never do that”

They say this because they feel the office setting puts them in a different frame of mind. They do their “job” there, while at home there would be too many distractions.

Most of the people I talk to say things like “I would watch Netflix all day”. I wouldn’t get anything done, I just “fuck around” all day. Like this guy:

For some people this is true, but I bet if push came to shove, they would be working.

If I can do it, so can you.

So if you’re just starting out as an entrepreneur or freelancer. Or if you’re lucky enough to have some of your days at your home office. Here are some tips and strategies I use to stay motivated while working from home.

Back To Basics:

Self-motivation comes from within, it’s like a muscle that can be trained over and over. It’ gets stronger over time.

So how do we work this muscle?

In the book, “Smarter, Faster, Better” the author Charles Duhigg describes that in order to self-motivate you need to build a strong internal locus of control. You build a strong internal locus of control by making choices, any choice. The more choices you make, the stronger the muscle gets.

So, start by making choices. Not sure how to tackle that inbox? Pick on of the emails from the center.

Not sure who to call first? Decide which question you’re going to ask someone when they answer the phone.

By building these micro choices, you’re slowly building the muscles to decide for yourself what is important. Over time, you’ll be able to weed out the things that don’t matter and focus on the important tasks (without being told what to do).

Dress For Success:

Now, when I first started working from home, I wanted to put myself into “work mode”.

How did I trick myself to get into “work mode”, by dressing the part?

Your subconscious is trained over the course of your life through external messaging. Sights, sounds, smells feelings, etc. All trigger your mind and body to do/remember/feel something.

To switch into “work mode” you should dress like you’re going to work. Dress like you has to meet with your boss or an important client.

Wear the button down shirt, wear the nice pants. Get yourself together as if you were headed out the door. Then, sit down and start working.

This is one thing that helped me push forward so quickly. I’ve now (over the course of almost 2 years) have been able to work from home without the need to “dress the part”.

Creating a “Work From Home Zone”:

Not only does putting yourself into a “work mode” help, but actually having a space in your house that is dedicated to “work” helps as well.

I’m fortunate enough to have an office in my home, which I normally work from in the morning, then switch to the kitchen counter (so I can stand and work) in the afternoon.

When entering your office or “work zone” it’s important to keep a frame of mind that is for work only tasks. This means, no facebook, no emails, no text messages, no calling friends. While you’re in this space, you should be focused, you should be ruthless with your attention.

Here’re some cool things people have done to create a “work zone” in their homes. You can use a large closet, a garage, a shed, or just a section of a room – say to yourself “while at this desk, this is the time for work”.

Let me know what things you’ve implemented or are going to implement in the comments below. Feel free to share this article with a friend who would find some value in it.