Operating your small business from home: How to set yourself up to succeed

Strategies to run your small-scale business at home

What can you do to set yourself up for success while running a small business at home? Here are some tips.

While flexibility is beneficial however, it’s not always easy to reply to emails from home or at family time. This not only suffocates one’s attention, but it also creates expectations of availability. It’s also harder to switch off and reduce stress.

So, how can you avoid all of this?

Be creative in your work space

One great work at home is to clearly divide your home and office spaces.

A space dedicated only to work is essential, since creating physical distance can lead to mental distance and make it more easy to turn off your work when the day has ended. Finding a desk, the right office chair, and a storage system can help you set yourself up for success.

It is also recommended to take the time to create a space that feel cozy. Research suggests that personalizing your workspace is an excellent way to increase your productivity.

"I have a huge house with a kitchen that has plenty of space for my food and other supplies. It’s my personal sanctuary. It smells divine and I’ve got full rights over the music!"

Injecting a bit of imagination into your workplace can make a significant difference.

"I’ve tried to make my office an environment which I love being in. There’s a beautiful string of red roses arranged around the board behind my computer. I have all our huge feather costumes out in the open so I can see them, and I have a quilted blanket that my mom made me on the chair I sit in."

When you’re working from home during an epidemic, these small things can be the difference.

Copy your work environment’s norms

Although some individuals might allow work to bleed into their daily lives, it’s best to be cautious about letting this occur. It’s a good idea to keep a laptop off the kitchen table and no packing orders in the living room.

Setting boundaries can help to maximize the value of your time working at your home.

We should mimic the boundaries that we’d have in our normal workplace. As an example, you wouldn’t answer emails that come up in a face-to-face meeting with a customer or an employee therefore, you shouldn’t be doing this in the course of a Zoom meeting.

While working at home, it may be tempting to respond to every ping of your phone or email immediately, but engaging in this behavior isn’t going to help in the long term.

Turn off your email notifications so that you can focus on the task at hand and not be distracted. Then, only be sure to check your mail every one or two hours.

Find a method that you like and follow it

Making a schedule when working from home is very crucial.

A set time for starting work as well as breaks for physical exercise during the work day and a time when is when work ends are essential. Maintaining a regular routine and making a plan for your tasks for the day will help you become more productive.

"If I have three massages booked in, I will block them one after the other, I will also keep an established schedule that includes time for lunch breaks, coffee breaks and other tasks."

Every morning, she should ask yourself important questions like "What are the objectives or milestones I need to achieve today?" and "What’s in my head this moment? ".

Certain people are drawn to routine, and have found that doing daily gratitude exercises to be beneficial.

Write down three things you find yourself grateful for each day. Then attempt to make your to-do list in the evening before or first thing in the morning. This can help you get in a state of mind and put you at ease.

Make sure you are an advocate to protect your mental health

If you work from home you’re able to work for the entire day without seeing any other people, so you have to learn how to become an advocate for your own health and wellbeing by practicing self-care.

Be realistic about what you can get done especially if you’re homeschooling your kids and have proper breaks to replenish your energy.

The research showed that during the SARS quarantine, individuals showed signs of psychological distress, so taking the time to keep in touch with your family, friends , and clients is vital.