Practical Tips To Make Working From Home A Success by Elise Springwood

When I first started drafting this blog, WFH life was still kind-of a #trendy dream. 2020 has quickly provided a shake-up of mammoth proportions to counteract that. For many who abruptly experienced a WFH version of life thanks to the pandemic, working from home is now 'the new norm'. I do genuinely hope people from all walks of life continue to shift into a home office space. It's just the best!

If you have been throwing the idea of permanently working from home, here are a bunch of great resources & connections to effortlessly make this your reality. 

I am going to guess by now, with 12 weeks of WFH up your sleeve; you will no doubt realise the first few "must-know" essentials; like don't eat four blocks of chocolate for breakfast then scroll FB until lunch (we've all been there, don't stress). Instead, we will skip straight to the importance of setting your ideal morning routine. Use pretty colours, alarms and positive affirmations to motivate yourself, the fancier the script, the more likely it will work.

Here is mine. 

First Alarm: Allow 3-minute snooze.

Roll out of bed and into runners. Intervals with sprinting then stroll for 500m.

Grab greens and eggs from the hen house and organic veg gardens; pop in the sink to rinse and warm coffee machine while you shower.

Second Alarm: Out of the shower and into work clothes (makeup and hair optional).

Whip up an omelette with fresh produce gathered earlier, settle in with a coffee to enjoy than spend time in the Word until bub awakes … 

Yeh, I am joking! I did, that, maybe like, once.

Working from home life is somewhat like 2020 unpredictable! Throw in a baby or two, property, snacks oh the never-ending snacks, relationships, pets, NBN and the random stray animal. We all quickly realised schedules are "just for fun" - right?. 

Instead; Here are realistic and practical tips to make your next chapter a working from home success. 

Paperwork

Begin every single contract with paperwork - clearly outline the job specifics. 

I know it's annoying, but sometimes the lines blur between employee, contractor and friend. Keep it clear from the start. If you are available at flexible times throughout the week around parenting requirements, be honest with that, your ideal client will understand, and the relationship will bloom with honesty. 

Free resource: Docs online docs.google.com they have great templates are free and allow you to insert signatures. When creating copy, I use a mix of Grammarly app.grammarly.com and www.thesaurus.com/browse/make?s=t

Money 

Start a new bank account where all business expenses come and go. I use the Barefoot Investor system to categorise income loosely. 

Free resource: Barefoot Investor Facebook Group via barefootinvestor.com/askbarefoot/

Find a good bookkeeper; we offer that service at @TheVirtualManagementSolution 

Free resource: Or DIY with a free app. WAVE accounting www.waveapps.com/

Schedules

As mentioned earlier, Schedule everything but do it, in pencil. 

Free resource: Use a free scheduling app like Trello

Life in general hardly ever goes exactly to plan, but learning to bend and sway in the plan is an impressive skill. Remember we are responsible for following God's mighty plan not our own so skipping that morning jog won't ruin the world #justrollwithit

Connect

Find a coach you connect with and don't be afraid to change if you feel you have outgrown them. I am working with Fideliz this year and wow! What a significant step forward that has been :) 

Find a group you can grow with and support. You will need a few groupies; no one else will fully understand your excitement about spreadsheets and SEO's unless they are in a similar position.

Free resource: Kingdom Women Entrepreneurs Community

Personalise

Do it your way - there are so many ways to achieve success when working from home (go on, try and google it). None of them will suit you perfect! So, begin with prayer - Pray! Always pray before decisions let God guide every decision - really; do it.

God is bigger than competitors, bigger than algorithms - trust God before entirely consuming yourself with comparing what others do to succeed. You are you, and you are different from others around you. 

Free resource: Bible app

Invest

Invest in you. Study or learn to DIY as much as possible, you will save money and future proof your fantastic business. Spend time recognising your voice, creating your God aligned goals and vision.

Free resource: TAFE NSW is currently offering free studies! The smiling mind app can help you grow too.

Lastly, you can find me @thevirtualmanagementsolution on the gram for lots more tips and updates on our website & newsletter developments. I'd love to share with you lots of little things in my life that bring joy while working with God, at home, and while parenting. #weareallinthistogether

Free resource: x5 Bible Themed Graphics from The Virtual Management Solution  to encourage and motivate you bravely sharing Christian values on a business page. Think along the lines of digital affirmation cards :)

I'd love to get to know you. Sign up to the newsletter or follow the socials and let me know a little about yourself too :) 

Elise xx

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With love from a reflective, work-from-home, God-fearing, list-loving, ENFJ, pocket-wearing Mum with a bunch of other hyphenated descriptive words in my bio and a resume in entrepreneurship since the age of 13.

I am Elise, founder and creator of The Virtual Management Solution.   

@thevirtualmanagementsolution we support your business 'get going' without over capitalising within your online-space. 

The excellent team have been running online since 2016 from a rural Australian town.

We have grown over the years, and can now support, coach and manage across a field of topics including bookkeeping, social media and proofreading. 

I'm easily distracted by family, horses, a pretty dress with pockets or a good wine. If not busy at work you can find me supporting our local Church, or community and enjoying this great country, its places and people with my little family.

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The Kingdom Women Entrepreneurs is a Sisterhood Community for The Vision Builders, Boundary Breakers, Passion Igniters; Called & Anointed To Shine In Their Uniqueness & God Given - Calling.

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