How to Get Things Done When Working from Home

Filed in archive management on April 17, 2007

Some advice from home-based workers Korona and Cynthia Kidder on how to make discipline work for you if you are a home based business person.

Dress for work. There's no time to be a slob. Take a shower and look like you're going somewhere.

"I rarely wear blue jeans to work in my house," said Kidder, 51, founder of the nonprofit Band of Angels, which advocates for people with Down syndrome. "There's something about being in jeans and a T-shirt that makes it too easy to throw in a load of laundry."

Set a routine and stick to it. Just like in the office, there should be a certain time of day when things get done.

"Every morning, I clear my e-mail," said Korona, 46, president of re.Source Partners, a computer hardware asset management company. "I contact my partner with a morning call and then contact clients who need attention. I stick with the same routines as if I were in the office."

Keep work and fun on separate computers. Don't allow family on the work computer.

"My kids can't do homework on it," said Korona, of Novi, Mich. "You can't get on the Internet because I don't want unauthorized Web sites."

Interact with other professionals. You have to make it a point to stay in the loop.

"Every now and again, I e-mail other professionals who I know work from home," said Kidder, of Rochester Hills, Mich. "I'll ask if they have five minutes to talk and then we discuss projects."

via Reno Gazette Journal