How to Discipline Yourself to Work From Home

Fortunately, I have had the pleasure of working from home for a while. Although I love it now, it hasn't always been this easy. In the beginning, I found it very difficult to discipline my time. After doing some research, I learned and implemented several great tips. Below are the top ones that really helped me build an incredibly successful business:

1. Create a workspace that is dedicated ONLY for your work. Try to make it a place of privacy where you will not be distracted.

2. Create a daily schedule. Don't just think it, Write it down on a large sheet of paper and put it in visible sight in your workspace. Most importantly, try your best to follow it each day.

3. Set Written Goals. Notice again, these need to be in writting and in a visible place. Associate your goals with something that motivates you. For example... I saw a beautiful French piece of art last weekend. I took a picture of it on my cell phone, printed it off on my computer and taped it up by my goals. As soon as I reach my goals for the month, I am going to go buy it.

4. Talk with family and friends about the importance of your business. Alot of times, when I share with folks that I work from home they automatically say "Great, so you are available for coffee most anytime?". The answer is No. There are lots of terrific benefits to working from home, owning your own business, being your own boss, etc. but you have to keep your work time in check. This is a hard one for me so I allow myself a one hour lunch each day and this is when I meet friends or run errands. But, I make sure that when that hour is up I am back in my workspace working.

5. Reward yourself! It can be sort of lonely working at home and if you stay dedicated all week then you should reward yourself for motivation. I set a goal each week of how many conversations I want to have with folks. When I reach that goal, I allow myself to shop online for 30 minutes on Friday for whatever I want! This is just a little something that motivates me. You can reward yourself with all kinds of things... have fun with it!

Try to stay focused. You will reap the rewards in the future and let's face it - the future is where you will spend the rest of your life!