Meaning it’s the tie I wear when I’m working from home.
You know, like your favorite sweats that you might only wear indoors.
This is my tie version.
Dress to impress YOURSELF
Home tie is just one of the “devices” I’ve developed over the years for working from home.
See, as many more people now know, it can be hard to work from home, right?
You have lots of distractions you don’t have in an office, don’t you?
Like this Kat sitting right next to my keyboard.
I don’t have the heart to shut the door, nor the tolerance to hear her scratching at it.
And I do enjoy having her visit while working.
But I’ve had to over the years find ways to lock down your focus working from home.
Here’s 3.5 ideas.
1. Put on your shoes
This idea a client gave.
He read it somewhere and said that by putting on his work shoes he found it easier to get in “work mode.”
And this too fits my above point on dressing to impress yourself.
Not because others see you.
But because dressing as you would “professionally,” you bring your mind into this place.
You’re at work, in work mode, being this “version” of you.
Maybe for you it’s not a tie or shoes, but what is it?
2. Have a dedicated space
If you’re fortunate you have a great place with a dedicated office that makes it easier to work from home.
If not, you still want to carve out a space.
Maybe for you that’s working from your bed on your laptop.
But for many people you’re more likely to win working from home by setting up a more professional space.
So, again, you know, when you sit down to work, it’s business time, and you’re in business mode.
What is this for you?
3. Be even more scheduled
A reason you see from me extreme systems like my System For Ultimate Days is…
To get done very hard tasks for me—like writing a book—without any structure, I needed to bring a massive amount of structure to…
How you put your mind and actions in the absolute best place…
By how you best structure your day.
So, if you’re using the previous devices being in business time.
You also want to schedule your day like it’s business time.
Of all these devices, this can be the least easy to do.
Because like my client above, and Kat on my desk, you enjoy having your spouse and kids walk in to interrupt you.
But a method he’s found is to schedule his business time in his office, and then hang with them at lunch or coffee time.
What ways can you best schedule your day?
3.5. Follow work protocols
This one I made a 0.5 because it’s implied from the previous devices, but it’s powerful in its own right.
Which is, if you walk past your TV and turn it on.
Or hang out with your dog or cat or spouse or perhaps say get in bed with your lover during the day.
Well, it can make it much harder to send that signal to your brain that this is business time.
And you’re in business mode.
Maybe that’s not a problem for some people, but if you’re still looking to crush it like you do in the office, you want office-crushing protocols too.