Paul and I have had careers on both sides of the coin—the traditionally employed, nine-to-five, grueling commutes, stressful annual reviews, and limited-opportunity-for-growth life vs. the self-employed, working-from-your-couch-in-your-pajamas, setting your own hours, endless opportunity for growth, dreams-really-do-come-true life. So you can trust us when we say, with absolute certainty, that the latter is much more enjoyable and satisfying. That’s why we offer our franchisees that exact lifestyle through EventPrep®, a home-based, forward-thinking, full-service event planning and management company, headquartered in Central Florida.
But working from home doesn’t mean not putting in your all, slacking on responsibilities, or taking your career any less seriously. In an era of a global pandemic, when more people than ever find themselves practicing work from home, those of us who have been doing it successfully for years have a few tips to help you strike that balance of productivity at the pad.
1. Find a Quiet Place to Work
No matter your profession or industry, nothing is going to throw off your productive mojo more than distractions. Questions from kids, Judge Judy’s ruling, a spouse chatting with a neighbor, or any other background noise you normally wouldn’t be subjected to in the office are all the ingredients to breaking your concentration and falling behind on your deliverables. The key is to find yourself a designated, secluded spot for the time you need to focus on work, and get the family on the same page of respecting that space. They may love having you at home, but if you can’t get your work done, you’ll eventually have the wrong kind of free time.
2. Give Yourself a Break
It’s easy to get caught up working when you are in a more comfortable environment, and sometimes you may even have the urge to overcompensate for working at home by actually working more. So make sure you take regular breaks and only work the amount of time you would have if you were at the office.
3. Eat and Exercise Regularly
Just because you are working near (or maybe in) your kitchen doesn’t mean you should be munching all day. Try to maintain the same eating regimen at home that you did at work. And make sure to get up often and exercise! Most people who unexpectedly find themselves working from home don’t have a “real” office, with a chair that supports your body properly. If you are working from the couch, get up, stretch, and go for a short walk every few hours.
4. Get into a Work from Home Routine and Set Goals
As fun as it is to work from home in your pajamas, eventually most people find it more productive to set a routine of success—showering, getting dressed, and setting goals for the day, just as you would if you were headed to the office. Routines help separate “work time” from “home time,” and make those all-day pajama days with the family more enjoyable.
If you are wondering if these tips really work, remember this: working mostly from home, Paul and I captured the number one spot in a $25 billion dollar industry, landed hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts, experienced a nearly 25,000% growth over the first three years of our business, and made the Inc 500 twice, ranked number 23 and number 2—becoming the second fastest growing privately held company in the United States.
Now that we’ve set the bar, go after it!