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It’s great to be a business owner. After all, you get to call all the shots, including when you work and what takes priority in your work day. But who hasn’t had life interfere with your business schedule, especially when you are a mom?
The trick is learning How to Change Your Work Schedule Without Hurting Your Business.
And I’m not just talking the occasional kids’ cold or a need to call in the refrigerator repair dude. Sometimes the overall structure of things on your schedule must change. Working at home does afford us some great flexibility, but there are times when your work hours needs a major re-adjust.
For example, maybe your children have started school and now you need to be to help them get ready in the morning. This may mean that instead of being productive in the mornings, you now have to work in the afternoons when they’re at school. Maybe you need to focus the bulk of your work before noon to be able to handle another commitment. This type of dramatic work schedule change can really throw a wrench in your productivity is you don’t have a plan in place.
While there are certainly many challenges to changing your schedule, there are also many benefits. One of the most profound benefits is that when you change your schedule you force your brain to work in a different manner.
It’s like brushing your teeth with your opposite hand or trying to eat with your opposite hand? Changing how you normally do things makes new connections in your brain. These new connections can foster innovation and creativity. Something as simple as changing when you work at home can have dramatic effects on your creativity and ultimately your business growth.
To help you overcome the challenges and embrace the benefits of changing your work schedule, here are four quick steps.
#1 Start small.
If possible, make small adjustments in your work schedule so that you can gradually adapt to the new routine. This may mean cutting back a bit on your work schedule so you can adapt. For example, you might work for two hours in the morning before your child wakes and two hours in the afternoon while they’re at school. Making small, gradual, changes to your schedule gives you time to find new systems that work for you.
#2 Allow yourself time to adjust
Even if it is difficult to make small changes to your schedule, allow yourself time to adapt. You may not be as productive right away. However, being patient with the change means you have the time and the freedom to create new habits. For example, if you used to drink coffee in the morning before you got down to work; try drinking coffee in the afternoon before you get to work. New habits and old comforts can really help you adapt to change successfully.
#3 Look for Alternatives
Many work-at-home professionals fall into ruts. They always do the same things the same way.
For example, maybe you always sit down in the morning to write your day’s blog post. When your schedule changes, it’s the perfect time to embrace other changes. For example, instead of writing your day’s blog post, perhaps you dictate it and then send it to your virtual assistant for them to transcribe, edit, and upload to your blog. Something that used to take an hour might now take you ten minutes.
Look, you can’t fight change. That’s part of life. So when you are thrown a wrench in your works due to a schedule change, use it to build and grow your business.
Need some other ninja tricks to help you navigate the slippery slopes of working from home?
