The freedom of working from home has also opened doors to people starting their businesses from the comfort of their own homes. While work from home productivity remains a concern whether you are an employee or your own employer, there are a few key tips and tricks that can help you optimize your productivity while working from home.
There are two types of bosses that work from home. One that runs a business that requires customers, another that requires clients. While both aren’t very different from each other, there are minute nuances that separate the two.
Being your own quality control department
When you’re freelancing, you’re basically rendering services to another person, henceforth known as your client. As a freelancer, it is your responsibility to make sure that your results meet the expectations of your clients. As an e-commerce retailer, you only need to make sure that you meet the standards that you have set for yourself, whether it’s a cake or a wood sculpture. When you are working in an office, you will have higher-ups to check through your work, but now, you are in control of your own quality control and it is important that you treat every piece of work you deliver with care – never submit or send out anything you can’t be proud of.
How does this play into productivity? Well, if you create something sub-par, you’ll spend more time amending it, but if you do it well the first time, you’ll be cutting your working time in half and free yourself up to take on more tasks.
Instead of having a fixed schedule, create a rough plan
It is much more fulfilling to have a plan rather than a boring fixed schedule that you have to go through every day. As your own boss, you can decide what tasks to focus on when you start the day that you consider as “work” instead of having to power through menial tasks that may not be conducive to what you need to do. As employees, we are expected to run through certain tasks before calling it a day, but as employers, we have the freedom to choose what needs to be done and sometimes it may deviate from what a normal working day looks like.
Take for instance, you need to get a brief done for something that you had just come across the night before, you would be able to take that initiative and complete it before you start replying to your emails or you could simply rank your tasks based on priority and decide then which you should take care of first.
As a freelancer, you might have sudden urgent jobs that come your way that would take precedence over any other work in progresses. Usually due to the size of the client or the job scope. For example, if you were working on a $500 project that was due in a month, and a client suddenly approaches you to do something in two days for $5000, it is likely that you would prioritize the larger and more urgent job. Knowing how to prioritize is definitely an important aspect of upping your productivity as a boss working from home.
Final thoughts
Becoming your own boss from home involves more than just establishing a workspace and starting a business. It requires a substantial commitment to self-discipline, effective planning, and careful resource management. By mastering essential skills like time management, networking, financial management, and decision-making. You can establish a strong foundation for your home-based business. Additionally, continuously developing your product or service, maintaining a customer-focused mindset, and leveraging the power of digital technology is crucial for scaling your business. Remember, becoming your own boss is a journey filled with learning experiences and opportunities for personal and professional growth. With perseverance, adaptability, and resilience, you can successfully navigate the challenges and rewards that come with being your own boss from home.