INSIDE: Looking for some work at home tips to get you off to a great start this year? These 10 tips will help you to get things organized and to be more productive so that this will be your year of success!
For many, a new year means a long list of resolutions and big dreams. Instead of being inspiring, this activity can actually be a stressor for many. Maybe you start thinking about the failed resolutions of years gone by. Maybe you start feeling stress because you don’t have a big list of even bigger goals.
Work at Home Tips for a Successful Year
This year, things can be different. Here’s a little to-do list of activities that can help you start the new year off on the right foot.
1. Get Your Accounting in Order
For many, January 1 signals a time to start preparing for filing taxes. It’s not a fun way to start the new year, but it is a necessity. And the more you prepare now, the less headache you will have come April 15.
If you are already running behind, start rounding up those receipts and making a note of where you collected income and how much. If your transactions are primarily online, software like Quickbooks Self-Employed or Freshbooks can pull in your transactions for easy categorizing and running reports.
This is also a good reminder to make sure things are set up as easily as possible for next year. Don’t wait!
2. Update Your Resume or Portfolio
Work at home tips couldn’t be complete without this one. If you have been busy working all year, you may not have had a chance or even thought about keeping your resume or portfolio up to date. While that’s a good thing, an out-of-date resume can be stressful should the moment arise when you need it.
While you are tallying up your earnings for the year, take a few moments to make a note of any significant and notable projects. You can also take things a step further. Send an email to any happy clients thanking them for their business and asking them if they would be willing to provide a testimonial for your portfolio.
3. Clean Up Your Social Media
Many of us have taken a big step back from social media over the past year. Now would be a great time to set any accounts to private that you are no longer using. Delete any questionable photos. Deactivate accounts you no longer use.
If you are still active on social media, start the year off with a new profile picture. Update your work history on sites like LinkedIn.
4. Change Your Passwords
This may not seem like one of your typical work at home tips, but it’s a good one! We have all heard we should change our passwords frequently, but do we really heed that advice? Take some time to change, at the very least, passwords to your most important accounts such as your bank account. While you are in there, turn on 2-Factor Authentication if available.
5. Clean Up Your Office
Look around. Is that really how you had envisioned your home office? Is there far more clutter than necessary? Do you have trouble finding something as simple as a pen when needed? Maybe it’s time to clean up.
When everything has a place and is in its place, your workday will be far more productive. Start with just one task if you must, but make clearing the chaos a priority.
6. Review Your Accomplishments
It’s so easy to focus on what we didn’t do, and that’s a horrible mindset to be in when you are thinking about the future. Yes. You need to take inventory if things went awry from your goals, but don’t overlook what you did get done. And in a year consumed by global chaos, the little achievements matter a lot!
7. Plan Your Goals
Work at home tips would never be complete without goals.
When the new year rolls around we are always so focused on goals, goals, goals. But there is a big difference between goal setting and goal planning. In an instant, you can likely think of a laundry list of goals — things you want to accomplish. Where the real work lies, however, is in the execution. How will you achieve those goals? What steps do you need to take to get there?
You have likely heard of S.M.A.R.T. goals. It’s a great methodology to follow. Your goals should be:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time Bound
Now figure out your plan and stick with it!
8. Practice Gratitude Exercises Daily
A negative mindset can foil even the best of plans. But you can retrain your brain!
Take time every day to focus on the positives in your life. Practice gratitude. It may not seem like much, but it can truly transform your life. Even better, it can make a positive impact on the lives of others as well. That’s a very powerful thing. You have that power!
9. Set a Small Daily Exercise Goal
Work at home tips can only be successful if we’re healthy, which is why we’ve included this one.
If you are like most people, every year starts with a fitness goal … and if you are like most people, that goal has been sidelined by February. This year can be different. You simply need to frame it a different way — maybe an easier way.
Instead of saying, “I’m going to go to the gym for an hour three times a week,” say, “I’m going to do 25 jumping jacks every day.” You may think that sounds irrelevant, but when’s the last time you did 25 jumping jacks? Do it now. Do you feel a little winded?
Studies show that even short 5-minute bursts of activity can make a big impact on your health. You can find 5 minutes.
10. Take a Break
Many people in 2020 quickly realized the struggle that is working from home. It’s hard to keep boundaries. You can feel as if you are always at work and you can never fully unwind or disconnect.
If your schedule will allow, take a few days to yourself. Turn off the electronics. Read a book. Get out in nature. Binge-watch a television series. Do something just for you and something that will take your mind off of work. We all need to press our reset buttons from time to time.
Final Thoughts About These Work at Home Tips
None of these activities individually may seem like much, but collectively they can truly influence your mindset and ability to accomplish your goals. Make this a year to remember!
