Starting your own business can be an incredibly uplifting thing to do, and can move your whole life onto a more productive and positive track.
But just because becoming an entrepreneur can have many benefits, that doesn’t mean the process isn’t also without its challenges, frustrations, and tribulations.
Here are a few tips for staying sane when starting your own home-based business.
1. Make sure that your home office space is as efficient and professional as possible
If you’re going to be working from home, at least for a significant amount of the time, it’s imperative that your home office has everything you need, so that you can get your work done in the most professional and efficient way possible, with the least number of frustrations and stumbling blocks.
First and foremost, you will generally need a reliable and speedy Internet connection, even if that means investigating rural broadband solutions for your notoriously spotty area.
You should also go to great lengths to avoid having any mess or clutter in your home office space, as any disruption of that environment will naturally lead to distraction, and a heightened sense of frustration and unease.
It’s just not too easy to be properly productive and focused in an area that is completely out of control.
2. Balance time spent working in isolation, with time spent surrounded by other people
There’s actually quite a lot to be said for working on a task or project by yourself, without other people around. For one thing, according to writers like Cal Newport, this is the best way of ensuring that you’re able to give the task your full attention, and do the highest possible quality of work.
At the same time, though, most people will start to unravel, become unhealthy, and become less productive, if they don’t balance time spent working alone with time spent surrounded by other people.
When you have big, in-depth projects that you really need to power through, work on those alone. At other times, though, make a point of finding regular opportunities to work from a coffee shop, a co-working space, or even a library.
3. Optimise your energy levels, and add structure to your days accordingly
Working from home, especially as an entrepreneur, almost always presents certain motivation issues that aren’t there to the same extent in a traditional office setting. At least, that seems to be true for most people.
When you’re working from home, you have to be completely in control of your own schedule, your own deadlines, and your own productivity. Among other things, that means that you really need to pay attention to optimising your energy levels, and structuring your days accordingly.
If you are chronically sleep-deprived, or deficient in an essential vitamin or mineral, or aren’t eating enough, it’s going to be exponentially harder to stay on track and avoid constant procrastination and underperformance.
Take care of yourself in these most fundamental ways, and don’t let your work eat up all of your personal time.