Accounting Time

One of the advantages for most work-from-home businesses is that you can set your own hours. Of course, that means you’re the person who has to motivate yourself to do the work. That can be particularly hard when the weather is nice, you’re itching to read the latest novel by your favorite author or you just don’t “feel” like working.

In an office environment, you may have experienced times when you really have to force yourself to concentrate on your work, but you also have more accountability with your supervisors and other colleagues being physically around to keep you working. At home, the pull of household chores, children and other activities can be stronger and harder to resist.

Overcoming those temptations when you have a deadline in work-related projects takes discipline and constant vigilance to make sure you dedicate enough time to do a project to the best of your ability for your clients or customers.

This is something I think every work-from-home woman experiences from time to time. I know I certainly do. For example, as I write this, I really should be focusing instead on a project that I’ve been putting off because the deadline is really flexible.

This particular project has been on my to-do list for a while and I’ve yet to make real progress because it’s something that I just don’t feel as motivated to do as some of my other assignments. But I’ve decided to set some deadlines of my own in order to stop my inclination to procrastinate—and to get the project done sooner rather than later.

Keeping myself accountable in the time I need to spend on each assignment is tough sometimes, but it’s what God requires of me—that I do all to the glory of God and part of that means making sure I set aside enough time to properly accomplish the tasks and assignments I have as a freelance writer.

So I’m preaching to myself when I encourage you to not waste your work time at home. Be vigilant in guarding the time you set aside for work by actually doing work instead of thinking about housework or children or the relaxing things you want to do after work. Use that time to accomplish your work-related tasks and then you can tackle the other things on your to-do list.

Until next time,

Sarah