The number of people that start an online business is higher than ever. This automatically means that we have many home offices. There is a pretty good chance that you already have a home office.

The big problem is that when you work at home, it is really easy to end up not being effective. Distractions normally appear. Just think about how many times you check your Facebook profile every single day and how much time is lost when you check what your friends post.

Working in a home office creates rather unique challenges. You need to be effective. This is what I will be focused on. Will try to help by offering some advice that worked really well for me. I am sure it will help you if you remain honest with yourself and you admit having a problem. All people that first create a home office have this efficiency problem so do not kid yourself that this is not the case.

Set Business Hours

I can say that this is really important when there are people that live with you. Such people may not actually understand that you need to work. The solution: business hours.

Simply create a schedule when you will work and put a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door. Do pay close attention to this when you have to talk with clients since this is when you do not want to have people around you making noise.

Create To Do Lists

This is incredibly effective. Such a list will help you to focus on the tasks that are the most important. It will drastically improve your time management and will help you to perform more than you think you could.

The problem is that there are also some household duties that you will have to do and errands tend to always appear. Even so, focusing on the list during business hours will help you.

Set Project Deadlines

Even if there won’t be anyone that will hold you accountable if you miss deadlines, you will remain on track when you work at home. If you do need to be held accountable as this helps you increase efficiency, share the list with a friend or family member.

Don’t Forget About Relaxation

A common problem with a home office is that you end up working too much. If this is the case, you quickly end up exhausted. Once in a while you can get distracted and you can allow yourself to be in such a situation. The only thing is that it should not be something that often happens. Just make sure that relaxation time does not overtake work time. If this happens, get back to your business hours and your To Do list.

Analyze Results

Having a home office and being “your own boss” may make you forget about the importance of analysis. You need to look at the work that you do and see if it is as it could be. It is vital that you put as much effort as necessary into your work in order to reach your goals and deadlines. Always know where you are at!

Be Honest With Yourself!

Being your own boss and having a home office is always hard, even if it seems simple at first glance. You will be distracted and you will need to relax from time to time. Always be honest with yourself and figure out what you are doing wrong. Mistake is human and you can always become more productive.