Maximize your home office for productivity

But working at home takes some organization and self-discipline, said Anita Campbell, blogger for the Small Business Administration, Small Business Trends and BizSugar.com. 

Campbell offers 10 ways to ensure your success even if you are wearing fuzzy slippers to work (find more details at tinyurl.com/klm2ewd):



Be sure you have a dedicated space that is only for your business.

• The more routines you develop, the more work you’ll get done. Set up work hours that are consistent, but they don’t have to be 9 to 5. If your small children nap, make that time part of your workday, or hire child care.

• Are you an early bird or a night owl? Work when you are most productive.
• Make sure your work setup is physically comfortable. That means a chair with back support, and a monitor and a keyboard that are the right height for you. Protect your eyes with computer glasses and a screen the right distance for your sight, or two screens so you don’t have to jump between applications.
• Check into free or affordable software programs and apps like Google Drive, DropBox, Skype and FreshBooks.
• Remove distractions or pretend you are at an office and ignore the laundry on the floor that needs folding.
• If you can be productive at a park or coffee shop, get out of the house occasionally.

• Develop a support network of other home-based entrepreneurs. Try #HomeBiz on Twitter to find content and conversations geared to home-business owners.

• Plug into opportunities to develop your business and industry knowledge through webinars, Twitter chats, blogs and publications. Both SCORE and SBA offer free webinars regularly on current business topics.
• If you have employees who also work from their homes, set up a regular time to meet face-to-face.