List of Ways to Efficiently Work From Home - List Mama Guest Blog

Some of us who are blessed to be able to work from home on a full-time or part-time basis can sometimes find it hard to work efficiently due to the many distractions that can present themselves during the day. The lure of household chores, needs of children, phone calls from friends and family who just don’t get that "work from home" concept. Working from home can be more challenging than working in an office. Getting into an efficient routine, establishing guidelines for yourself, and boundaries for your friends/family are essential to success.

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The Big Purge

I have written a few times about how I made transition from Relocation Consultant to Writer/Life Coach. I speak frequently about the mental changes I went through…I'm going through to adjust my work habits, etc. But there is one huge transition that I have not made that I have been dreading for the better part of a year…my office.

Guess what, I was actually on the HGTV show Mission Organization for my office. At the time of the show, I was pregnant with my first child and still a Relocation Consultant. Writing and Coaching were not even a blip on the radar screen. My office was redesigned to fit the productivity of my former career. It worked perfectly for that profession. When my needs, my priorities, and my career began to change, my office did too… into a big mess. Thank heavens HGTV discontinued the show because they would be so ashamed of me right now! I began piling my new life on top of my old life and things were just not working. I didn’t have space for my new files because my old files (dating back to 1999) were taking up the space. I just had "stuff" everywhere and it was getting to the point of no return. I didn’t even want to be in my office. What once was a place of inspiration became a bone of contention. I did not want to feel that way about my personal space. My supposed creative space that made my stomach turn whenever I stood in the threshold. Something had to give. It was time to let go.

Read the full article on Divine Caroline

Clock Out!

I am trying to teach myself a valuable lesson...learning to "clock out". As an entrepreneur, I am so conditioned to working 24/7, I have trouble shutting off. Hence, having my computer with me at the hospital when I was giving birth to Jackson. I have to sometimes remind myself that I changed professions (from Relocation Consultant to Author/Life Coach) so that I did not have to work so much. It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. It is so hard that sometimes when there is no work...I actually invent it...I make up some important task that needs my immediate attention! I should be using that energy elsewhere, right? I am not embracing change! One night after the kids were in bed and my body was limp with exhaustion, I still crawled in bed with my laptop, notebooks, and client files. I actually found myself getting a little miffed at the fact that my inbox was empty and I had nothing to respond to. I really had nothing I needed to be doing at that moment except, well, SLEEP! I had to tell myself, hey girl, CLOCK OUT!

Click the title to read the full article on Divine Caroline

Look at The Lesson

It's wonderful when you can see mistakes as building blocks for future success and not as mini-failures. I was reflecting on some recent business decisions and though the were very good ideas, the timing of their execution may not have been wise. The "old me" would wallow in regret of the mistake or bad judgement call and beat myself up over it. But instead, I subconsciously find myself looking at the lesson and even the blessing received from it! A break-thru! An AH-HA, if you will. I feel myself evolving into the person I want to be...the real me! Now that I am getting my mind right, I sincerely hope my body will follow!