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Good Business

5 Tips for Working from Home

Here we go again, we're back in a semi-lockdown until September 13th.  So I thought today I'd bring you some of my tips for working from home ... again!!!

1. Set up your office space

Might sound like an obvious but I'm suggesting having your office space set up in an area firstly with a door so you can close out distractions when you're working and close it behind you when you're not.  This way when you're not working you're not looking at your office space thinking 'maybe I'll just do one more thing'.

2. Take breaks

When you are working in your usual office you take breaks, right?  Because let's face it no one can sit in the same position for 8 hours straight.  This is just as important as at home, and no getting up to answer the door does not constitute a break.  I mean step away from work, put the kettle on, put some music on, walk around the garden a few times, whatever you need to do to switch off for a little while.  Make sure at a minimum you still take your hour for lunch - if you live in town why not venture to your local cafe or pub that serves food and not only take a break but also support local businesses who are struggling at this time.

3. Log out of Social Media

Unless your job requires you to be on Social Media during the day log out of it.  It drains your time and distracts you from getting work done.  Maybe turn on some music instead, remember you're in your own home it's OK to belt out a few lines with Meatloaf - no one is going to think any less of you.

4. Give yourself a break

No I'm not repeating myself.  What I mean here is - we are in ever changing times and we need to give ourselves a break.  I don't know your exact situation but on March 13th I suddenly became a teacher on top of everything else and my perfect little plan of what I could get done while the kids were at school went completely out the window.  It took some getting used to and realisation quickly set in that I wasn't going to be able to do everything, I definitely wasn't destined to be a teacher.  Sometimes when we are thrust into these situations we expect perfection from ourselves and it's just unrealistic.  So we need to give ourselves a break.  Kids will wander in and ask something when we are just getting our head around that task we've been putting off.  The phone will ring with someone just wanting to chat at the other end.  And that's all ok, because tomorrow is another day.

5. Set up for the next day

How many times have you been in bed at night thinking I need to remember to do this, that and the other tomorrow?  Or is that just me?  Last task before you close the office door behind you should be to write down your To Do list for the next day.  Do a little mind dump of what you have to do, what you want to achieve, who you have to call / email so that you won't be trying to remember everything.  It's also a good idea to keep a piece of paper or notepad and pen by your bed, that way when you get that lightbulb moment just as your eyes are closing you can note it down and go to sleep.

What have you found most helpful while you've been working at home?  What challenges do you have?  If I can help in any way make sure to get in touch.

Good Business

Brainstorming For Your Business

Let’s face it 2020 is a very strange year.  Most of us had an idea of what our business would do this year and then BAM!!!! Covid-19 hit, and we had to reimagine overnight.  Some of you reading this may be in Laois / Offaly / Kildare where we are now in a new 2-week lockdown and are again having to relook at your business.

This is where brainstorming comes in.  I use this regularly when I’m working with young people, but I call it Mind-Dumping which they seem to like better.  It’s essentially the same thing – you get everything from your head onto paper and then process through it.  One of the most important things to remember is that no idea is too off-the-wall or silly.

How to get started:

1. Set up an area where you can work – have plenty of pens, paper, post its, whiteboards, markers, whatever tools you want to use to do this.  If you're like me and tend to prefer using a computer please, please try use pen & paper for this exercise.  There's something about physically writing rather than typing which helps the brain download better.

2.  Don’t go it alone – do it with a group. This could mean your life partner or friends, people who have vested interests in your business or simply people who are good at bouncing around ideas.

3.  Start with thinking about why you want to go forward in business? What’s your purpose?  This may be simply to pay the bills and fill time or perhaps you’ve kids and want to build up money for them to go to college or you want to retire early and enjoy life.  Your ‘why’ needs to be something that will help motivate you to do your best not just do your job.  Write your end goals in BOLD or on different colour post-its than the rest of your ideas so they really stand out and remind you of where you want to get to.

4.  Let it all out – the mad and the bad, the crazy and the great. Remember what I said ‘no idea it too off-the-wall or silly’ but if it’s not out of your head you can fully expand it.  Don’t critique / decipher / analyse as you go, the first part is simply getting it all out of your head so you can see clearly.  Go wandering, dream big.  I heard it said once that ‘if you’re dream doesn’t scare you then it isn’t big enough’.  Don’t limit yourself by money / time / resources.  Think about what you would do if these 3 things were no object.  This process may take some time but it’s particularly important to set aside time to specifically do it.

5.  If you're already in business, as opposed to starting a new business, have a think also about things you did in the past that didn't work - would they work now?  Also what sets you apart from your competitors - do you go over and above in your service even though you're selling the same products.  Can you sell your product / service in a different way?

6.  Once this part is done then it’s time to filter / critique / analyse the ideas. It would be good to start with putting the ideas in order– some may be achievable in a shorter timeframe to others, some may be steppingstones to bigger ideas.  Some will be completely logical and can be put into action immediately while others might need more resourcing.  Use the SWOT analysis process (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) when looking at your ideas so analyse their suitability to your end goal.

7.  Start developing your ideas further. What might they look like?  For products you’re talking about their purpose, packaging, pricing, etc.  For services, what problem can you solve for your customers?  This will identify what resources are needed to proceed further.  Now is a great time to look into these things with the government offering more assistance both financially and non-financially.  Training courses are being offered in more accessible ways than ever before.  Your Local Enterprise Office is a great start to find out more here.

If you would like some help in getting started then get in touch today on 087 415 1435 or by email to info@rcmservices.ie

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