It’s essential to plan your work days out ahead of time when you work from home. Knowing what you are going to do with every hour of your day will allow you to be more productive. Have a daily routine that is specific to your work days to help you form habits that will leave you feeling less stressed and ready to take on the day. For more information about creating a work from home routine or schedule, check out my other blog post Create a Work from home Schedule for Your Craft Business.
Mornings Matter
It’s so easy to sleep in until the last possible second. Many of us are guilty of hitting snooze because we just don’t want to get out of our warm comfortable beds. When you sleep until the last possible second, then you end up starting your day off in a hurry. If you have to wake up, cook breakfast, pack lunches and hurry the kids off to school then it can be a real headache.
Instead of starting your day off by being in a rush, give yourself one extra hour in the morning to wake up and take care of yourself mentally and even physically. Instead of hitting snooze or spending time on social media while you lay in bed, try getting out of bed right away. A successful morning for me looks like drinking a full glass of water, journaling, reading a devotional, looking through my calendar for priorities that need completed for the day and practicing gratitude. If I wake up early enough, I can sometimes squeeze a little exercise into my day first as well.
Treat the Day Like You’re Leaving
It’s tempting to stay in your pajamas all day if you have no where to go. However, wearing your lounge clothes all day can make you feel a little too cozy. Believe it or not, showering and getting dressed for the day can help you stay focused and it can also make you feel more confident.
Don’t forget to eat a healthy breakfast before you start your work day so you aren’t tempted to eat and work at the same time, which can also lead to procrastination and distractions. Make your coffee and put it in a travel mug so you can take it with you to your desk to sip on instead of drinking it slowly while you read social media. Treating your work from home crafting business like an office job can greatly improve your productivity.
Plan Out Your Chores
It’s tempting to look around your home and think of all the chores you could be doing instead of working. Don’t feel guilty about any of the chores. Instead, plan out specific times during the day when you will work on them. Maybe you can squeeze in a load of dishes after lunch, or fold a load of laundry during a 15 minutes break. Use a timer to help you not spend too much time on chores so that you use your time wisely.
I find that it helps to save certain chores for different days of the week so that I am not so overwhelmed all at once. For instance, on Mondays, I focus on the bathrooms and on Tuesdays I catch up on laundry. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from your family because even though you are home all day long, it doesn’t mean that you should have to do it all yourself.
Schedule in Breaks
You’re going to need breaks throughout the day or you will end up feeling resentful and burned out. It’s easy to get in the zone and forget to eat as well, which makes it even more important to schedule in breaks. Figure out when you can take one to two short breaks a day so that you can take a walk, eat lunch, call a friend or run an errand.
You’ll want to determine how much time you can afford during your breaks. Maybe you can schedule in two 20 minute breaks, or maybe just one hour long break is all you can afford to have during the day. Regardless of the time that you can allow yourself to have during a break, make sure you are taking them every work day.
Have a Set Start and Stop Time for Your Work Day
Start your work day at the same time every day, and also end it at the same time every day. If you allow yourself to stay in your crafting office for longer than your set hours, you’ll end up feeling burned out and you’ll also find yourself running out of time for other important tasks.
It might be necessary to actually print off your work hours and hang them up on your door. You can make a sign like this for free and quick on Canva. It might not be possible to have a full workday when other important things come up, but just having these hours set will keep you focused when you know you only have so many hours every day to dedicate to your work.
Be Flexible
It’s convenient to plan out a routine, but there aren’t many people who actually are able to stick with one every single day. It’s very important to be flexible when you need to be because life happens. If you need a nap or a little bit more sleep because your baby was up crying all night long, then take a break.
Routines are there to give you a baseline so that you can stay focused, but they aren’t worth beating yourself up over if you can’t stick with the exact times you scheduled your day. Try to stick with your daily routine the best that you can, but be flexible when you need to be as well.
Check out my planner pages shop page where I have created a daily routine printable to help you plan your day. Color in the time blocks and write out what you plan to do with each hour of your day. This will help you determine when you should be working as well as when you can plan time for yourself, your family and all the other important things in your life.
