How would you like to have at least an extra hour in your day just for yourself so that you can have more fun? When you work from home there can be a tendency to work longer hours due to the flexibility that you have.

If you work from home, these ideas if implemented consistently will free up your time so that you can enjoy more of your life.

Look After Yourself First

Exercise regularly and eat healthily. Do the right thing by yourself and you'll have heaps of energy, be motivated, more productive and happier.

Surround Yourself with Positivity

Circulate with positive people, read motivational books and listen to motivational tapes/cds while driving, going for a walk or waiting for appointments. Avoid negative people like the plague. They will drain your energy.

Clean out the Clutter

You will save yourself heaps of time, energy, space and money if you clear out your home environment…paperwork, books, old equipment etc. regularly. You'll be able to find things, save money because you won't have to buy what you already have hidden somewhere, plus you'll be less stressed. You'll feel better which will make you happier.

Jazz Up Your Environment

If you work and live in a pleasant environment, you'll naturally feel better and happier. A clean, uncluttered home office makes you feel good and happy to be there.

Dress for Success

When you look good, you feel good, when you feel good you are happier. Have an image makeover. Even though you work from home, if you dress well to suit your lifestyle, it will make a difference to how you and everyone else see you.

Plan Time For Fun

With so much to organise in your busy life you need to record your appointments, things to do and goals somewhere. Use a paper diary or digital organiser that you can take everywhere. This is the most effective way to get things done, plan your work and your life. When you work from home it is easy to get bogged down with work and not have planned time out.

Learn to say "No"

To dramatically improve your productivity and do more of the things you want in your life, you

have to be firm with others and let them know if you cannot, will not or are unavailable to fulfil their requests. Neighbours, family and friends can have the mistaken belief that because you work from home you are not really working.

If you constantly say "yes" to everyone else's requests you will never have the time to do what you really want to. Book yourself into a self-assertiveness course to learn these skills if you feel you need to.

Do What You Do Best and Delegate the Rest

See if there are ways you can delegate tasks which would suit someone else's talents. Many people spend heaps of time on mundane secretarial tasks which would take a person who is trained in that area a quarter of the time to undertake.

At home hire a gardener and cleaner to take care of the basic household chores. It's worth investing the extra dollars if you can have more free time to do what you want to.

Compliment Someone Every Day

How do you feel when you receive a compliment? Make someone's day…give before you get because what goes around, comes around. Go out each day, even if it's to the local shops so that you can talk to people.

The Final Word

By following these simple yet very effective ideas you can really enjoy the benefits you can experience when you work at home. You'll feel good, look good and have more time to enjoy your life… and when you're enjoying life, you're happy!

Lorraine Pirihi is Australia's Personal Productivity Specialist and Leading Life Coach. Her business The Office Organiser specialises in showing small business owners and managers, how to get organised at work so they can have a life! Lorraine is also a dynamic speaker and has produced many products including "How to Survive and Thrive at Work!"

To subscribe to her free ezine visit www.office-organiser.com.au
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lorraine@office-organiser.com.au