5 work at home productivity secrets for the busy entrepreneur

Work at home productivity can be a challenge depending on the season, how busy your business is, or how many distractions you have in your home.

Staying productive while running your business from home can be simple, structured and extremely productive if you set up a few key systems in place.

Here are a few business productivity tips when working from home.

Work at Home Productivity Secret #1: Have a central hub for your business

Have you ever searched for something super important you needed for a client or a customer, but couldn’t find it?

OR…have you ever had the thought “I really need to organize my business”?

I definitely hear you!  There was a time that I had documents and files scattered across Google Drive, Trello, my computer, and even written on paper!

It’s so hard to function efficiently when your business necessities are all over the place.  

To improve your work from home productivity, set up a central hub for your business.  One central loction for everything to be located. Here are a couple of tools for this:

• Trello – one of my favorites and where I have my business central hub set up
• Asana
• Click Up

Think of all the files critical to your business.  Even if you have them in Google drive, having a link to the Google Drive file makes it so much easier than searching 5 different folders to find what you need!

Secret #2: Workflows for Work From Home Productivity!

Systems are a language I love to speak!  I geek out over systems and organization in business and in life!

Having systems or processes in place for different functions or areas in your business makes your work time so much more efficient!

Sitting at your laptop and searching for needed files, plus figuring out where you left off = lots of time wasted!!

We all know your time is your most valuable asset.  So it’s important to make the most of it

Do you have certain projects or tasks that you perform in your business on a repeat basis? For example:

• In your marketing
• Content creation
• Graphics creation
• Podcast or video production
• New hire onboarding
• New client onboarding
• Daily or weekly client work

Identify those pieces of your business that you have to complete on repeat.  Make a workflow for each of those projects or tasks that need to get done.

List out the tools or software you may need to complete the task and then break it down into a series of steps.

Write it out on a Trello card, in Asana or Click up.  Save it as a template or resource to pull from the next time you sit down to complete that task!

BOOM!! Instant productivity upgrade for your business!

Secret #3: Time blocking for Work From Home Productivity

Honestly I can’t stress enough how important it is to manage your time daily and weekly based on what needs to get done and the goals you have for your business.

Whether you work all on paper, digital or both…finding a consistent system for blocking out your time is the best way to stay on track.

My top tips for time blocking (and this is how I map out my weeks) are:

1. Schedule or block out all non-negotiable items – family needs, appointments, mandatory meetings…
2. Block off all other times – getting kids ready, dinner, family times, your personal care like exercise, errands
3. Prioritize what’s left over – find the white space left in your calendar.  Block off those times and assign your priority business tasks to be completed during that time.

Hopefully this helps get you started!  It’s a system I have been using with my own family.  When we change seasons from the school year into summer it definitely comes in handy!

Secret #4: Keep a Routine and Structure when working from home

Working from home leaves a lot more room for flexibility in your day.  This also leaves the door open for you to be much less productive.

A great way to get more work done is to set up a routine or structure for your day.

Have a set time when you wake up.  If you’re working at home with kids, make sure you take into account their schedules and needs.

Keep a consistent morning routine, daily routine and evening routine.  Review your time blocked schedule to help you structure this.

Your routine will give you the structure and framework to schedule in your business and work tasks that need to be completed each day!

Secret #5: Planning the day before

One thing that has always helped me navigate each day (especially during big changes in our routine) has been planning the night before.

You might already have a plan for the week.  However, every evening review your schedule for the next day.

Review:

• Where those pockets of time are
• What you plan to do in those pockets of time for your business
• Write down your top 3 non-negotiable tasks for the day

This makes such a big difference for me in my ability to identify what my top priorities are and when I plan to get those things done.

It’s also a system that flexes well no matter how busy your day might be.  It saves you time at the start of your day and gives you a focus.

Being more intentional with your time and streamlining your business is key to optimizing your productivity….especially when working from home.

If you’ve recently transitioned to working from home (whether for your job or starting your own business), start with these tips as a foundation!

You can always build out bigger and better workflows and processes in your business.

Working from home or working for yourself is an amazing opportunity from the traditional 9-5.  However, all that flexibility needs structure and a routine!

Getting intentional in your business will save you your most valuable asset…your time!