September 12, 2016

Working From Home : Find Your Own Work Flow

Today’s blog post is for anyone that struggles with comparison – this can be looking at someone else’s life, kids, social media, financial standing, or it can be about blogging and the comparison that goes with that. This is something that I feel you can watch play out among bloggers, online business owners, etc. EVERYTHING is out there for all to see which makes comparison a very easy trap to fall into. I thought it would be a good discussion and something that I need to consistently evaluate in my own heart – how does comparison affect you and what can you do about it?

First Things First:

I think it’s important to say that the best thing you can do for your business or job is to decide early on that what you’re doing will have different rules and priorities than anyone else. Don’t be afraid to do things differently or how what you feel is the best for you and your business. Celebrate others’ accomplishments and great ideas, just don’t worry if you do things differently. If you work in the online community, find a tribe of bloggers or business owners that you can trust and can bounce ideas off of, but realize that you will still do things your way and that’s good, that’s what will make you stand out.

Find Your Own Work Flow:

You need to work at your own pace – don’t compare a corporation for what you can do. If you have a corporation or a team that works for/with you, you can do more but you still need to have definitive work and rest times so you and your employees want to come to work the next day. Set boundaries and stick to them – if you want to work from 9-5, Monday – Friday, don’t work over the weekend. Want to work evenings when the kids are sleeping? Be ready for flexibility and don’t sacrifice your sleep. Close the computer and walk away. Set a timer that tells you to turn off the computer if you have to, but set boundaries that you can keep.

Do what works for you and your business:

I have made quite a few business decisions that I labored over and second-guessed but at the end of the day I have to say YES to the things that work for me and family and my business and not what would look great to everyone else. Have I missed out on opportunities and money with potential long-term benefits? Of course. But if something doesn’t work for my long term goals, it doesn’t work for my short term goals either. Let your YES be YES and your NO be NO and once you make a decision, stick with it and don’t second guess it.

Comparison IS the thief of Joy:

I love the quote from Theodore Roosevelt, ‘Comparison is the thief of joy’. It can be applied to so many scenarios, but in business or working for yourself, it can hit home quickly. What’s awesome for you might feel like it pales in comparison to someone you admire online or in real life. When you focus on someone else you take the focus off of yourself and your business or your work. Stop doing it. Go on a social media hiatus if you have to but stop comparing your business to someone else’s best stuff. I’m sure you’ve heard it before but social media is someone else’s highlight reel – the best stuff, what they want you to see, the pretty and perfect pictures. I struggle with this because on one hand people come to me as a cleaning expert but the reason I am a cleaning expert is because my house gets dirty too and I’ve figured out some simple ways to teach people how to clean their houses too. Shoot, I am cleaning pee off the bathroom walls just like other moms out there 🙂 .

Stop comparison by having an editorial calendar:

One of the best cures for comparison for me was to create an editorial calendar. This summer has been crazy for lots of reasons and my calendar might only be ready for a week or two ahead, but when I’m on my A game I have my blog calendar done for 3-6 months in advance. I have been known to have things blocked out for a whole year ahead – it might morph a little bit and change but this keeps me from checking what other people are doing and it keeps me focused on my business and not someone else’s. Originality is the key to having a business that stands out – the more you look around, the less you’ll trust your instincts and think that someone else has a better idea. They don’t – not for you, your ideas are the best FOR YOU and your business, audience, colleagues, etc.

What does this mean?

Do what works for you and your job or your business. Stop looking around, keep you nose down and work the time you’ve set aside and let what’s meant to be fall into place. Enjoy the things that really matter and stop worrying about someone you don’t really know and their game plan. Concentrate on your own – the outcome will most likely be the same but you’ll feel so much more at ease about the process. Trust me, I can attest to this simple switch in my own life – it’s freeing!

Share your top work flow tip in the comments or how you’ve seen comparison be the thief of joy or if you have a topic you’d like me to cover in this series, let me know!

This post is part of a Working from Home Series:

Psst…my Everyday Work @ Home Kit is perfect for working at home!