[PODCAST 235]: 5 Life-Changing Work-from-Home Habits that Save me 10+ Hours a Week | Time Management for Busy Families

Learn | Do | Become

Full transcriptions of all our podcast episodes are now available inside the Apple podcast app (and perhaps others, as well!). A basic outline and related links are below. So glad you are here!

---

I’ve been working from home and balancing personal/professional work for the past 20 years, and I’ve developed 5 habits that save me time and enable me to love my work. I hope these ideas are helpful for you!

And while I do all of this with my STEP Command Central, I won’t be going deep into the “how-tos” of the system today, but we have a link at the bottom where you can learn how to “Start STEPping for Free,” and I hope you’ll sign up!

Habit #1: I put boundaries around my work time, but I do so with flexibility.

If some “work hours” aren’t set aside, they won’t just magically appear, but I think the best part of working from home is being able to have flexibility and decide what my best hours are. I like to be rested and make sure the family is settled, for example, before I jump into my work. Your specific situation may be different, and your work might be more face-to-face, but I personally have found that if I look at the whole week and shoot for a specific number of hours or a specific amount of work that needs to get done that week, it maximizes my creativity and lets me be present with my family.

Habit #2: I make my work as asynchronous as possible.

Some work has to be done synchronously, but typically a LOT of things can be done whenever it makes the most sense. For example, with email, Slack, voice memos, personalized videos, polls on social media, videos, audios, Google forms, etc., we can often get the same or better results, without all the time pressure. As you think about your own work, I recommend asking, “How could I get the same or a better outcome [on this project/task/initiative] by working asynchronously?” For example, our team meets once a month on Zoom, but the rest of the month, we use Slack, email, etc. to communicate, and because everyone uses a STEP Command Central, we don’t need daily or weekly meetings to make sure everyone is doing what needs to get done. I also read a Harvard Business Review article that shared how asynchronous work is particularly helpful for women (and I would add that I think it’s helpful for anyone who is balancing family work or caregiving).

Habit #3: I create a short, specific list of outcomes for each week.

I used to just “keep busy” and hope my business would profit. But sometimes the things I did to fill my time didn’t actually impact the bottom line. When you use a Command Central, you learn how to have a basic framework for each workday using the calendar and the Routines List, but typically, if we want to move any business or organization forward, we need to work on specific projects that will impact the organization financially.

Each week, as I look ahead and “create my week,” I look at my Current Projects List and identify 2-4 solid outcomes I need to finish by the end of the week that will positively impact LearnDoBecome, and then those get my best work hours.

Habit #4: I minimize distractions.

Context-shifting is incredibly common when you’re working at home–and it’s also common to make ourselves ultra-available. I do my best not to shift context (jump from thing to thing to thing) when I’m sitting down to do my work. My phone goes on Sleep Mode, I close my email browser, I don’t open social media apps, I tell my family that I am working, and I refrain from doing things like checking the weather or bouncing around online. Not always easy, but this makes a huge difference.

Habit #5: I create a variety of spaces where I enjoy working.

It’s easy to either get interrupted (if I’m always working in one space all the time) or to get bored of being in the same space. Now I create 5-10 “work spots” where I can sit. Sometimes it’s the kitchen table, the kitchen counter, my main work desk, a standing desk, a recliner, the front porch, a patch of sunny carpet, a local park, the library, or even a field in the mountains. It makes a huge difference to me (and helps me stay focused) because the variety in location satisfies that need for something “new,” and then I’m not as distractable.

We all know that the world is becoming more and more flexible with technology and global markets, and when you’re working in a busy family household, it can feel really tricky soometimes. But as we learn to maximize the beauty of working from home, we’ll see that we can use our skills, support our families, and enjoy the process!

If you have other habits that have worked well for you, please share them in the comments!

And if you’re ready to build your STEP Command Central, please check out the links below!

Related Links!

Do you think your life would benefit from a STEP Command Central? Click here to start STEPping for free!

Our ARISE membership – an amazing gathering place for community members that are using their Command Centrals to refine relationships, health, finances, individual purpose, and more. We focus on a new topic each month, and this is an amazing opportunity to receive coaching and support from Team LearnDoBecome. You can sign up for a free, 7-day trial here.

LearnDoBecome Content Directory