Have you been sold the dream of building an online business?
Life can be tough and sometimes it feels like we are just fighting and struggling to survive every day. Stresses can push us to the end of our tether.
Building an online business can be overwhelming at times! At times there is too much to do and too little time to do it in. You end up struggling keeping it all together.
You have read through masses of “make money online” websites and blogs but your frustrations are building yet your progress is just so slow.
Although the economy is in recession, working from home is a dream that many of us have. Stop the commuting, avoid those office politics and just earn a living from the peace and quiet of our homes. Work when and how we choose on a business we enjoy doing.
There are no doubts Internet Marketing can be really hard. But you chose this route for a really good reason. You wanted to take control of your life, but if you’re not careful, your business will start to control you.
Starting a business is exciting. But a new business, especially an online business quickly takes over every waking hour of your life. You spend every minute sitting in front of your computer, and you get totally bogged down while the world goes past.
When you work from home, it’s very easy to feel lonely, cut off from the real world and feel intense pressure to make your business work. You know you carry a lot of responsibility for your business and there is no one you can turn to normally for help. Your friends don’t understand, and if you mention blogging, they generally think you’re mad. You have so many demands on you when running an online business it can se easily become overwhelming. The frustrating thing can be it never seems to get easier, and your successes are few and far between. How do you keep on top of it all?
Even though it’s hard to concentrate for more than about 20 minutes at a time, most people try to keep working all day without taking a break. They are driven by their desperation to make things work. You are like a caged animal, desperate to break out, and start seeing the money coming in.
If you keep going like this you’re going to drive yourself mad. Your health is going to suffer, and no doubts so will your relationships.
You can make an online business successful. I am one of the living proofs of that, but it is essential that you look after yourself both mentally and physically while you are doing it.
Here are ten tips for staying healthy and keeping your sanity when you work from home.
1. Get your working environment right
You won’t remain well-balanced, content, focused and passionate if your working environment is poor. You must feel comfortable in your work environment. This is made much harder to do when you are working from home, if that is what you are doing. Make sure you keep it clean, tidy and comfortable. Ensure you have a dedicated, definite working area. Doing this ensures you have specific areas to work, rest and play.
2. Set out your Firm working hours
Whether you are fitting time in around a full time job or whether you are 100% now on your online business you have to make sure you’re not working yourself into the ground. You must schedule your start time and your end time. Then you have to try more often than not to stick with it.
3. Set your schedule and follow it.
Before you go to sleep, determine the five most important things you need to get done tomorrow. It’s amazing what a simple thing like a list will do for your well being. When you start working tomorrow, make sure you stick to this schedule.
4. Ask for Support and Respect from Others
You have to avoid your family or friends constantly asking for things during your working time. By talking to your family and friends about what you are doing and what you want to accomplish, it’s possible to reach an agreement where you can work without interruptions. But you must counter this by ensuring you give them enough of your time where you leave totally working on your business.
5. Take enough time off
You have to refresh yourself by taking time away from work. I work 50 minutes and then take a 10 minute break. This keeps me refreshed. Although often it will seem there aren’t enough hours in the day, you must take sufficient time off if you are to maintain your energy and enthusiasm. If all you do is work, you and your business will suffer in the end. When you take your breaks actually relax and leave your working area. On the other hand don’t let working from home lead you astray, and let the temptations of the television turn you into a couch potato. If you work full time from home, make sure you still get up at a sensible time, and don’t fall into the trap of lying in.
6. If you have had a good day, reward yourself
You need to give yourself credit for your successes. Recognise your personal achievements. There are many signs of creating success in an online business and they are not all about how much money you’ve earned today. There’s your rankings, your traffic, building a network. If you are writing a blog, and you get loads of comments then you’ve done good. Let all your small wins drive you, but remember to enjoy them.
7. Eat Healthy and Exercise
Your overall health contributes to your mental and physical performance. Get regular exercise and eat healthy foods that support your mind and body. Our main blog Healthy Lifestyles Living by it’s name tells you how you need to be living. A healthy lifestyle is key for anyone trying to create an online business.
8. Avoid Letting Work Consume Your Life
You will probably be working more hours especially when you first start your business. However, avoid letting work consume your life by making time for your other interests. Whatever your hobby don’t forego this. Make sure you spend valuable time with your family.
9. Don’t panic.
One problem with running your own online business is supporting yourself while you’re trying to get the business off the ground. If you get to desperate to get out of your current situation, you end up trying to hard, working to long hours, and taking unnecessary risks, which only ends up in you crashing and burning. You end up exhausted and frustrated at the end of each day. There is a chinese proverb that says “Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.”
10 Build Your support team
You can’t do it alone! Others help us see things we are missing. Being successful in on line business means getting both help and support from others.
These are just some of the few ways to keep your sanity. Things that are simple yet we often forget.
However you go about it, your routine inevitably has to change when you start an online business. If you don’t put some thought into how that’s going to affect your life, and just leave it to chance, then it’s likely that the effect on your life is going to be negative. The good news though is that it doesn’t need to be.
Each week, set aside some time to meet with like minded people. In October we will announce a new group where you can link up with a group of on line business people just like yourself and share your successes and frustrations. It will help you keep balance in your work life and will promote your business at the same time. Also you will be supported by three people who together will help you make your on line business a success and help you to adopt a positive mind set, to bring to your business and your life.
If this could be of interest to you, register your interest to stay updated by simply entering your information in the Subscribe by Email Form on this Page and we will send you further information in due course.
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