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When you work at home, you not only have the normal PC distractions, such as Facebook and web surfing, you also have the pile of dirty laundry and the breakfast dishes that are still in the sink. So how do you work from home and stay focused and productive? Here are seven secrets that work for me: 1. Make sure you have a clearly-defined place to work. It's difficult to stay focused when you are looking at clutter from your home life, so if you are working full time from home, make it a priority to claim at least a little bit of space that is just for you to get your work done. Ideally, this space will be somewhat easy to cordon off from the rest of the home, so if you are on a business call, you can close the door to the television set that might be on in the next room. 2. Decorate your home office in such a way that it helps you to get (and stay) focused. What inspires you and motivates you to do your best work? Make a vision board for your bulletin board (or your top-drawer file cabinet) that details where you want to be in your professional life in 2, 5, 10 and 20 years. Your home office is likely the only place in your home that is completely yours. Make it a peaceful, organized room where you enjoy coming each day when it's time to get down to business. 3. Experiment with your attire. If you aren't seeing clients each day, it's easy to get a little too cozy, but many people do not feel most productive in pajamas or sweats. See if dressing up a bit can help you to feel more productive. 4. Give yourself scheduled time each day to mess around. I know that I tend to work all day when I'm home. I even eat lunch in front of the computer. My afternoon is much more productive if I allow myself to netsurf or read my friends' Facebook updates for 20 minutes or so each afternoon. I also find that I'm more productive when I schedule a brisk 30-minute run into my afternoon routine. The ability to drop everything and go out for a walk when you hit a roadblock is one of the best reasons to work from home. 5. Know (and take advantage of) your peak-productivity times. I know that I am most productive first thing in the morning, so I schedule my most cerebral tasks for those times. I also schedule the tasks that I don't enjoy as much in the morning (because it feels so good when they are done, and I spend the rest of the day congratulating myself for finishing them). That helps me to feel more productive all day long. 6. Try to see your business as a series of systems. If you find something that is really working in your business, sketch out the system that is at work. Then see if you can duplicate that system in other parts of your business. A similar idea: every month or so, apply the 80-20 rule to your business. This rule, also known as Pareto's Principle, says that you will get 80% of your results from 20% of your efforts. Figure out what that super-productive 20% is, and try to do more of it. 7. Before you finish up your work each day, make a prioritized list of things that you want to accomplish the following day. Organize your desk so that, tomorrow, you have a clear view of the day's agenda and projects. If you are feeling less than productive over a long period of time, it might be time to think up a new project or to bring a new bit of knowledge into your business. When I start to get bored, I get less productive. See if you can make some new goals or learn something new to spice things up a bit. Find the latest coupons for discount office supplies including any current offers for $30 off $150 office coupons.
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