From the desk of Elijah “The Realist”
Subj: How to kick major butt from home
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“Wow, you’re so lucky“.
That’s what I always hear, whenever I tell people that I work from home.
As if it was some “random luck” that did all of the work for me.
I wear the same 7 cotton blended t-shirts every week.
It’s NOT luck that puts the t-shirts on my back.
I went out to the store and bought the damn things and I put them on in the morning.
It was a decision that I simply made.
The shirts are nice and comfortable and stylish so I wear them.
If I didn’t like them, then I would immediately STOP wearing them.
I never liked working in an “office”, so what did I do?
I stopped working in one.
I made the decision to work from home.
“Luck” never came into the picture.
I took ALL of the necessary steps and I simply got it done.
I’ve been working from home for 6 years and I’ve faced literally all the ups and downs…
The highs and lows…
The slumps and boons…
and I’m going to give you a bunch of tips and tricks to maximize the amount of shit that YOU get accomplished while working from home.
Today we will talk about how to get into that working groove and get literally all your business accomplished.
Getting in the “mood” to work is all a VERY simple mindset.
All you have to do is change your mindset just a little tiny bit and you can go from working sporadically, here and there, and getting very little accomplished…
To working like a pro and getting absolutely EVERYTHING that YOU want accomplished.
1) Be a pro
Just because you work from home, with NOBODY looking over your shoulder, doesn’t mean you need to just simply goof off.
Entrepreneurship is no place for amateurs.
A pro gets in and gets the damn job done, no ifs or buts.
Since you NOW work from home (or eventually aspire to) you NEED to think of yourself as a professional.
Getting the work done is the #1 MOST important thing in your day.
It’s much more important than eating lunch with your friends, it’s much more important than catching an afternoon matinee, it’s much more important than shopping on Ebay, it’s even much more important than catching up on your zzzz’s.
Do the work FIRST, get it done, then you have literally all night long to do WHATEVER it is that YOU want.
Do the work, get things done, and then play!
But NEVER “play” BEFORE all of the “work” is finished!
2) Early morning work
Remember, now you’re a pro.
Pros don’t wake up at noon!
Early morning is the absolute BEST time of day to get any work done.
Before your competition is even awake you’re already up and kicking’ butt.
If you want to be a champion, then you’ve got to wake up like a champion.
Waking up early in the morning and getting things done should be your #1 every-day routine.
Good routine = good results.
No routine = no (or very poor!) results.
3) You need a dedicated working space
You definitely need a dedicated working space.
I’ve been on the road traveling and trying to work.
You know what happens when you DON’T have a dedicated workspace and dedicated routine?
You DON’T ever get any REAL work done!
A dedicated office is the BEST option, but NOT everyone has a spare bedroom that can be immediately turned into an office.
No problem, just make the BEST with whatever space you currently have available.
I started off on the corner of the bedroom making cold calls and getting deals done.
I’ve had a BUNCH of different style home offices.
I’ve had a dedicated office in a 3-bedroom house, I’ve turned a one bedroom apartment into an office by turning the bedroom into an office and turning the living room into a bedroom, and now I’ve turned my living room into an office.
Anything can work, you just need to improvise with whatever you currently have available.
You need a desk!
Desks were invented for a reason, to Get Things Done.
There’s a BIG anti-desk movement going around which is just plain flat out silly.
You don’t need a beanbag chair, you don’t need a standing desk, you need a regular damn desk and a chair.
A table will work fine just as well.
When you’ve got yourself a table or a desk you’ve got an “office” and you are NOW officially in BUSINESS.
The design of your home office plays a very BIG role in how well you work from home.
Great setup, great results.
Poor setup, extremely poor results.
Some tips for desk placement:
- Don’t sit facing a wall, like a mental patient.
- Don’t have your back to a door or window – This causes anxiety, always looking over your shoulder. Not to mention you’ll get a glare from the sun if you’ve got your back towards a window.
Your desk should be in the power position or command position, which is typically the middle of the room with your back to a wall and your front towards a door or window.
You want to see absolutely EVERYTHING that’s happening in the room, as any police officer knows you NEVER want your back to an open door.
Keep a clean desk!
Clutter is the #1 enemy of success or productivity.
Remember: It’s ONE thing to have a desk at home to play around on and it’s another to actually work from home.
If you work from home, you will be spending a lot of time there so you NEED to turn your work space into the absolute BEST space possible.
4) Plan your workday in advance
The #1 biggest mistake an entrepreneur can make is to NOT plan his workday in advance.
If you DON’T have a plan, then you DON’T really have a successful blueprint to follow.
Without a “plan” you’re just winging it.
Failing to plan is planning to fail!
To make sure you get your BUSINESS done each and every single day you NEED to have a “plan” for each and every single day.
You need to visualize, in advance, EVERYTHING that YOU are going to do and specifically WHAT you are going to GET taken care of.
Visualization is the #1 KEY for success.
How do you plan your day?
5) Keep and follow a to-do list
The BEST way to plan your workday is to keep a to-do list of absolutely EVERYTHING that YOU need to accomplish, right down to the smallest little thing.
Going into your workday WITHOUT a to-do list is like going to a gunfight with NO gun!
What are you going to “work on” if you have no plan or “list” of things to actually work on?
You’re going to “work on” watching YouTube videos or playing around on social networking sites.
I’ve been there a million times.
Have a plan and MOST of all… stick to it!
6) Outlaw any time consuming and negative habits
If you’re supposed to be working, then keep things like TV, YouTube, and social media OFF LIMITS!
…until you have accomplished what you need to get accomplished.
Keep business time for business and pleasure time for pleasure.
7) Get yourself in a great mood
When you’re an entrepreneur working from home one of your greatest enemies is NOT being in the mood to work, or “not feeling like working”.
Not being in the mood to “work” can cause a REAL problem because if you DON’T work, then you DON’T eat.
There are a few ways to get into a good mood and start your day off right.
Cardiovascular exercise
When you do cardiovascular exercise your body releases ‘feel good’ hormones called endorphins.
- Go for a 30-45 minute power walk
- Go swim some laps
- Hit the treadmill, stair-master, or bike and do some low intensity cardio (pop some motivational podcasts on your phone and listen to them while you prepare for the day ahead)
You don’t need to sprint or run 10 miles, just simply get your heart pumping.
Years ago, I’d wake up just before sunrise and take the dog out for a long walk and watch the sun come up.
Always take a shower before it’s time to work!
Never go to work filthy or dirty.
Cold showers
It’s impossible to NOT be pumped up and energized after a cold shower.
To start taking cold showers, take your hot shower as normal but at the end of the shower gradually turn the water from cool, to cold, to ice cold!
By the time you are out you will be pumped up and energized and definitely in the “mood” to get some work done.
Even if you DON’T take a cold shower, you still need to bathe and groom yourself in the morning.
Sure, you work from home, but you don’t need to live just like a dirty bum.
Act as if…
In this case, act as if you’re going to work.
Even if you’re just walking 15 feet to your living room.
8) Dress for success
Even if you work from home, always wear clothes that make you want to work and achieve.
If you dress like a bum (sweats, pajamas etc..) you won’t have the same motivation as you would if you were wearing your proper & professional business attire.
Clothes affect your mindset.
A man dressed like a policeman feels like a policeman, a man dressed like a businessman feels EXACTLY just like a businessman, and a man dressed like a lazy bum feels just like a lazy bum.
That’s NOT psychology, it’s just some freaking god damn common sense.
Always dress the way you wish to be seen.
That doesn’t necessarily mean a suit and tie but it probably DOESN’T mean pajamas and a dirty shirt.
Always wear clean clothes and always be flat out clean.
I personally NEVER wear business attire, it’s simply TOO HOT where I live, but I always put on fresh, clean clothes in the morning.
9) Give yourself a flat deadline
Deadline is a dirty word but deadlines light a fire and make you finish your work.
Allow only a certain amount of TIME to get ALL of your work done.
This way, you will be racing against the clock and will NOT have TIME to STOP and THINK about HOW MUCH you DON’T want to WORK.
All you know is that it’s a race to the finish and YOU definitely 100% want to win!
Racing against the clock produces results, and that’s a god damn guarantee.
10) Drink lots of Coffee or tea
Whatever gets your adrenaline going is what you should drink.
Get on a pot of coffee and get to work, keep yourself hopped up on caffeine until you are finished with the days work schedule.
I don’t like to eat much food in the morning because it slows you down while your gut digests it.
When I do eat breakfast, I eat a simple meal of 4-5 scrambled eggs.
Stay away from bread, oatmeal, or pancakes in the morning.
Those things will SLOW YOU DOWN and you don’t want to ever be slow!
You want to be alert and ALWAYS ready to go.
11) Focus on the END result
It’s NOT about the journey!
It’s about getting the work done. Period!
Get your work done and keep your eye on the prize.
Keep reminders of what your end goal is all around you, that way they remind you of EXACTLY what you’re working for.
Print out and paste your goal all over your work-station.
Print out pictures of EXACTLY what you WANT.
This will help you visualize your end-goal and keep you in the mood to work.
12) Go to the gym ONLY at night
I’ve been to the gym at nearly EVERY conceivable time, and I’ve learned ONE very important thing: If you work your ass off in the gym you are going to be VERY tired and drained when you leave the gym.
What EXACTLY does that mean for the entrepreneur?
It means you should work out at night, after your whole ENTIRE workday is finished.
If you go to the gym in mid-afternoon, and you lift hard, you are going to be drained for the REST of the day.
I’ve been there and done that a million times and it’s no fun to get home at noon and be completely drained of energy and then be totally useless for the REST of the whole ENTIRE day.
Gym time is an absolute MUST, but it should only be done after you FINISH your work day.
You’ve got a couple of bonuses hitting the gym at night too…
Even if you work from home you will STILL get stressed at certain things and you’ll need an outlet to help you relieve all of that stress.
When you enter the gym in the evening you’ll have TONS of more strength and aggression than if you were go to the gym in the morning or afternoon.
Since you’re going to the gym at night, after your work is finished, you’ll be able to relax a little bit when you get home and NOT worry about getting more work done.
Easy summary of how to work from home:
Do the work.
Then play.
Then… have a nice day.
Until next time.
Your man,
-Elijah “The Realist”