Quote:
Originally Posted by danaus56411  Greetings enwisened ones 
I am having an issue with my home office...whenever I am in that space, all my ambition, motivation etc seems to be overwhelmed by the instilled habit of apathy (which translates to engaging in passive entertainment etc).
Its actually quite strange, when I am at work, out, basically anywhere other than at home, I can get work done, but once at home, that apathy kicks in...it's very real and very difficult to overcome (so far) for me. The vibrations are certainly lower there, no doubt from years of habits and conditioning.
So my question is, how have others overcome this...has anyone else experienced this? What can I do to make my home area more condusive to working on my part-time business (which I have had good results from when I have put the time into it). |
Hello danaus56411
Welcome to the site.
I have suffered for many years with the same problem. Basically, my problem was procrastination. I sidetracked myself consciously onto browsing the net, surfing the web and wandering throw cyberspace onto websites that I liked but should only have been done in my free time. ie It was exactly the same as turning on the TV and watching something like the A Team (remember that!) when I should have been phoning clients for appointments etc.
I furthermore discovered that part of the reason why I was doing this was because the distractions were at arms reach and that reading about something interesting on a website was more favourable than getting a rejection to a proposal at the end of the line.
Henceforth I procrastinated until I couldnt procrastinate anymore (ie I just had to make a sale) and when I eventually started making sales because I had to, I forgot too quickly about why I had got there and slipped again into procrastination mode. The boom bust cycle sort of summed up my work life. I always on paper looked like a great achiever with my sales, but little did anyone know, my year was an anguishing time of self tormented struggles with my split personality.
All of these problems stemmed from having a mediocre amount of self dicipline coupled with working from home. When I was in an office environment, I had zero procrastination or when I was out 'on the road' making appointments etc from the cellphone I operated like a well oiled machine.
How did I beat this problem? Well I havent completely. I dont think I ever will completely (who does?), but I have gotten to the stage where my procrastinating is hardly noticeable and the vast majority of my time at work is spent at work.
Little tricks help me beat the old habits.
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Be prepared : If I have to make 7 appointments in one session on the phone, then I have a prepopulated call list to work on. This way I will tackle the job. If I havent done the preparation I find my mind wanders to more pleasing tasks like browsing the net or reading a book.
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Workstation: Have only the items you need to work actually turned on. If I have paperwork to do, I find if I turn the computer on I will get distracted by checking emails etc. Keep these things off unless you need them.
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Avoid distractions: If you work from home and have a partner/children, explain to them that your workspace is sacred and should be respected just like any downtown office block. Explain you find it difficult to work with distractions and that you appreciate their help.
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Keep your Office Clean and GTD'd: Any untidy office will sidetrack you, you can be sure of it. I have lost count of the number of times whilst looking for something I have stumbled upon something else and have gotten sidetracked before I knew 30 minutes had passed. Get that space cleaned up and filed tidy.
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PPP: Pre Planned Procrastination: Schedule your day 30 minutes earlier and use those 30 minutes before you start your planned work, to do all those little things that sidetrack you or send you off course, like browsing your favourite forums and checking personal emails.
These are just some of the things that have helped me turnaround my flexible career from being a day full of procrastination to a day full of promise.
Hope this has helped in some way.