How to Stay Motivated When You Work By Yourself

Nowadays, there are many people who would rather prefer working for themselves rather than for a rude boss in an office. Freelancers, small business owners, entrepreneurs – all of them are somewhat building their own future. And while it may seem like an ideal workplace, working from home is not always easy and fun.

You might be feeling exhausted or lonely. Many ‘loners’ tend to lose motivation, partially due to the lack of competition which was present in an office. This isn’t the only reason why so many freelancers and entrepreneurs suffer from burning out, but there are some tips that will help you stay focused and full of energy even on the hardest of days.

1. Morning Exercising Routine

First thing in the morning that you should be doing is exercising. There is nothing better than working out to start a day the right way. Alternatively, you can go for a walk to clear your head and think about what you should do during the day.

However, it is always preferable to work out and have a proper routine.

2. Making The Most Out Of Co-Working Spaces

Sitting at home and staring into your laptop the whole day is not the best way to get things done. It is not only bad for your health, but you may also start feeling quite lonely and demotivated.

A simple solution to this loss of heart is getting to a co-working space. You can rent a desk and work in a place where you will be surrounded by freelancers and entrepreneurs just like you!

This is also a great way to make new connections if you are a sociable person. If you aren’t, it’s okay to keep to yourself and enjoy the feeling of being ‘not all by myself’.

3. Plan Your Work Schedule

If up until now you have been going with the flow and shifting your tasks around, stop doing that and make a schedule. There is nothing worse than having your days roll one after another while you do different tasks ‘just to do them’.

By planning your work schedule, you create a purpose for yourself, mini-goals that should be achieved on that particular day. This will also help you be more organized, so try to make it a habit.

4. Meet Your Customers

Socializing is an amazing way to get energized. Of course, it mostly works for extroverts, but a huge number of people are ambiverts, so you will probably be able to gain energy too.

Apart from ‘charging’ your inner ‘batteries’, meeting your customers can also help you:

• Get customer feedback.
• Establish stronger connections and inspire trust.
• Strengthen the customer loyalty aspect.

5. Attend Networking Events

Meeting customers is all good, but what’s even better is attending networking events in order to establish industry connections. Such events may include anything from local parties to international conferences.

If you are located in North America, Google events near you or join corresponding groups on social media. If you are located in the United Kingdom, you can visit FindNetworkingEvents.com and search for business networking clubs, events, and groups. If you are located anywhere else, follow the same steps as for North America.

6. Check Yourself

So you planned your day and set certain goals to achieve. The day ended, and now you must check if you succeeded.

This is something like setting KPI’s for your business. Have concrete aims for your day, week, and month. You can set someone yearly goals too. If you want, make it a bucket list! But don’t forget that you must complete the list by the end of your deadlines.

7. Reward Yourself

You did your daily or weekly norm and you are very pleased with yourself. Well, it’s time to reward yourself for the hard work!

It can be something as simple as eating a bar of chocolate or as big as going on a trip. Think of what makes you happy and what can be your motivator to complete your tasks. Some examples of these may include:

• Eating food you like
• Buying products you wanted to purchase
• Going to your favorite places or doing your favorite things
• Going on a trip for the holidays or even for the weekends
• Making big purchases (this is best for the end of the year as a gift to yourself)

8. Let Yourself Rest

Don’t overwork yourself – it’s bad for your health. If you need to catch up with something, go ahead, but don’t stress yourself out constantly. Working under pressure should not become your habit.

Once you met the deadlines and complete all your tasks, get some rest. It’s something like getting a reward, but resting is more obligatory for various reasons. Having small breaks during the day is also a good idea. Don’t force yourself to work ten or even twelve hours straight.

In addition to that, get enough sleep. You probably feel like a vegetable right now because you didn’t sleep enough last night. The ideal number of hours a person must get is at least 8 hours a day. Some people need 10, others feel awful if it’s any lower than 12. However, most people think that getting as little as 5 hours is perfectly fine for their well-being. That is absolutely wrong.

9. Think Big

And finally, think big! Instead of running around in your little circle of local customers, consider growing your business to the nationwide level and then going global.

In order for your business to grow, spread the word about yourself with all means you have. Make social media account for your company and post content in different languages to attract foreign audiences. If you only speak English, have your texts translated by a professional service like The Word Point. This is a sure way to keep your content error-free (Google Translate is not the perfect choice here).

Apart from media presence, establish stronger connections in the industry and reach out to potential overseas partners. Look for investors to fund your endeavors. You can also consider franchising which has now become quite popular with entrepreneurs. There are many ways to go global, but that is a topic for a different time.

Conclusion

All in all, if you just try and find new ways how to keep your workday more varied, you should be able to rediscover that enthusiasm you used to have for your job. Remember that what you are doing will ultimately pay off in the end, so don’t even consider giving up!