Thoughts on Prakky’s 4 Tips on Working From Home … and Being Productive

Full post here: http://prakkypedia.prakky.com.au/2013/08/19/my-4-tips-on-working-from-home-and-being-productive/

My responses to her points:

Working hours are for client work, not housework

I don’t bill by-the-hour or whatever, I tell a client how much they’re going to pay me right off the bat. The point of telling this is that from that point on you are not working for your client, you are working for yourself.

If I quote $3k for a job and say it will be delivered in 2 weeks, neither they nor I give a flying turdbiscuit how many hours it takes – it could be 3, it could be 200 – as long as it’s done in time is all that matters.

Stop whoring yourself out to the hourly $ model, it’s way outdated and based on let’s say “physical” services. If you provide a goal/achievement-based service, charge for THAT.

If you spend your life charging for your time, you’ll spend your life being a slave to the clock.

If you start working on a project even for just a few minutes, that’s a few minutes you don’t have to work on it tomorrow

Getting “in the zone” is the most important part.

I can sit there and stuff around on a client’s project for a minute or two here and there, but if I’m doing it whilst I’m also doing other stuff I can almost guarantee I won’t get much done.

FOCUS, bitches!

Turn EVERYTHING ELSE off. Twitter, email, phone, Facepalmbook, etc etc.

Hell, use “incognito mode” on your browser so that when you’re “researching” on Google/Reddit/etc you’re not distracted by responses to stuff you’ve written, or even by stuff that might interest you personally. Put that shit aside.

Frankly – I think that’s the biggest obstacle to most brilliant folk achieving anything – modern distraction.

Recognise your down times and “can’t be stuffed” times and don’t fight it … as long as there aren’t too many!

1000%!

Sometimes I read research papers and can’t come up with anything but a “your mum” joke.

Sometimes I’m sitting here and my fingers are too cold to dance across the keyboard.

Sometimes I can’t be stuffed.

Crack out a video game you haven’t played for years, read a book you’ve had on your Kindle list for eons, cook up a storm!

Point is, you’re not doing yourself NOR your client any favours by slogging away when you can’t and don’t have to.

Pressure is my favourite motivator, but sometimes we just don’t have it weighing us down, chill baby.

Have some rewards for working from home – after all, that’s part of what it’s about

Hey, some days are just alcohol and video games – but in general most of the time it’s about pleasing who you deal with and making a good impression with those you wish to deal with.

But yeah, if you’re all work work work – you’re going to get burnt out in short order, and the solo business-person thingy is going to get real old quicker than you can grow pubes.