Does this seem familiar to you?

Wake up.

Start working (notice I skipped brushing teeth, getting coffee, getting dressed…)

Stop working to open the door/gate/whatever for UPS/FedEx/USPS person.

Resume working

Stop working to get dressed/brush teeth/eat breakfast

Resume working

Stop working to pick up the clutter, start a load of laundry, feed the dog.

Resume working

Stop working to [fill in random household chore here]

It can be extremely tempting to tend to household chores and similar things when you work out of your home. But have you ever considered the real impact on your productivity that comes as a result? It’s major. It can take me twice as long to do something if I keep stopping to tend to the house.

The laundry can wait. If you didn’t work from home, it would have to anyway. You work from home because it’s a nice perk, not because you can work and do the dishes and dust the living room and make the kids’ beds.

I suppose you might work from home so you can do those things, but I challenge you to spend one weekday brushing off all that stuff until 5 PM. Then, stop working and tend to your home. You’ll be surprised that you accomplished way more when you focused on just one thing at a time.

To our success,

Tia

— Tia Peterson

As a small business owner, you’re probably used to working all weekend. I know that I am. Again, in my earlier post about workahol-ism, I don’t generally consider my work “work”, but for the purposes of this blog I will.

I had a work-free weekend on Saturday and Sunday and I must say it was wonderful. I’m in this very stressful state in my business where I’ve got a ton of work and great clients but I’m also trying to add substance and foundation to my business at the same time, so I’m busily formulating marketing plans, learning new biz dev strategies and trying out every suggested tool out there to make me more successful. In the midst of all that, I’m trying to do my work so that my clients continue to love me and refer me.

So, “not” working (although I do always check email at least once during the weekend) this weekend was a welcome break for me. I hung out with my son, went to church, made progress on my moving plans (moving to Erie, PA in two weeks) and thought/worried about things unrelated to work. It was surprisingly freeing and refreshing!

My tip for the week: PLAN to not work this weekend. Yes, make a plan. In order to not work this weekend, you will probably need to take some measures to ensure that everything is covered and that you don’t have to work. TAKE THEM. If you never take a single piece of advice from me ever again, take this one. You will come back to work on Monday refreshed, revived, renewed and with a new sense of purpose for your business. And get this: that feeling never gets old. Never. You can have the same feeling EVERY Monday, if you really want to. Just try it. And if it doesn’t work for you, you can come back and say, I told you so.

— Tia Peterson