How to Stay Motivated Working from Home

Tips for making it through the tough times
From Scott Allen


You're lucky. You work from home. You're your own boss and you answer to no one but yourself. You may have worked years or even decades at a regular job, but now you get to make your own rules and set your own hours. There's no need to fight the alarm clock every morning, nor is there any reason to go to bed early at night. Since you're your own boss, you don't have to worry about getting written up, laid off, or fired.

Since you're reaping all the benefits of working from home, you're also stuck with the responsibilities. You're in charge of every aspect of your home business, which means you have to handle the bad along with the good.

One of the biggest challenges you'll ever face is motivation. Many individuals working from home are content with just earning enough money to get by, and don't strive to take their small business to the next level. If you find yourself slacking from time to time, then you need a good motivation boost.

Here are some tips to help you stay motivated:

Take some time to think about why you started working from home to begin with. Was it because you wanted freedom? Was it for the money? Were you having trouble finding a job anywhere else? In other words, what motivated you to start your own small business in the first place? Try invoking the same feelings again, and you will find yourself motivated once more.

Set goals for yourself. They don't necessarily have to be large goals—in fact, you will be better off setting small and easy goals. Try to get through one step at time. Plan to work an hour more every day. Try earning an extra $100 a week. What about $200? Just imagine what all you can do with that extra $100 or $200 each week!

Create a vision board. A vision board can be a wallpaper or collage of everything you want in life. It can include pictures of your dream car, dream home, yacht, land, famous places that you want to visit, and so forth. Anytime you need a boost of motivation, just look at your vision board! It will remind you of everything you can obtain if you work hard enough.

If you're not feeling very inspired and your creative juices aren't flowing, don't force yourself. The more aggravated you become, the less motivated you'll be. You also won't be able to produce quality content when you're feeling down. It's ok to take breaks. Sometimes lack of motivation doesn't necessarily mean that you're not doing any work—it could also mean that you're working TOO hard. Lie down to read a book or take a nap if you have to. Sometimes a bit of rest is all we need to stay motivated.

Working toward goals and taking breaks may seem contradictory, but they both play an important role in motivation. You can work and still rest. There is time enough to do both. Napping doesn't necessarily equate to laziness. Laziness is when you don't even try to motivate yourself.

If you work hard and find yourself stuck, then you need to rejuvenate yourself somehow. Once you're done resting, then you can get back to work again. You will more than likely have everything sorted out in your head after resting up, and before you know it, your work will be all done!

It doesn't matter how much money you earn by working at home. Nor does it matter how successful your small business is. At some point in time, you will find yourself needing motivation. You need to: think about why you wanted to work from home to begin with, evaluate your present situation, and make plans for the future.

Never let yourself forget why you're working from home. You are luckier than most people out there. You don't have to trudge to work every day slaving away for a thankless boss. Be thankful that you have freedom and independence that most people don't. As long as you can stay motivated and focused, your earning potential is unlimited and you can live a lifestyle most people only dream about.