#153: 10 Productivity Hacks for Working from Home. May 30, 2016

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1 1 #153: 10 Productivity Hacks for Working from Home May 30, 2016 Introduction [Play Hiking ] This rockin episode of The 5 AM Miracle Podcast is being brought to you by the incredible team at Jabra. Jabra, J A B R A, makes phenomenal wireless headphones for fitness fanatics, especially those who love to pair their favorite mobile fitness apps with extra data. For example, you could use the built in heart rate monitor in the Pulse headphones, or even the built in motion sensor in the Sport Coach model. You can learn more and enter to win a free pair of Jabra headphones at Jabra.com/5am. This episode is also being brought to you by our friends at FreshBooks. FreshBooks offers amazingly simple accounting

2 2 software for small business owners who need to focus and get things done. They have an advanced invoicing system, great mobile technology, and streamlined features to make tax time a breeze. FreshBooks is offering my listeners a free 30 day trial at FreshBooks.com/5am. That s FreshBooks.com/5am. [Fade Out Music] How is working from home different from working in a traditional office? More importantly, if you re trying to get tough work done at home, how is that really supposed to happen on a consistent basis? This week I share a few strategies that should bolster your ability to get more done when your cubicle is your dining room table and your co worker is a pug named Benny. This is The 5 am Miracle Episode #153: 10 Productivity Hacks for Working from Home [Intro Song]

3 3 Good morning and welcome to the 153rd episode of The 5 AM Miracle. I am Jeff Sanders and this is THE podcast dedicated to dominating your day before breakfast. Every Monday morning my goal is to help you bounce out of bed with enthusiasm, create powerful lifelong habits, and tackle your grandest goals with extraordinary energy. Here on The 5 AM Miracle Podcast we discuss early mornings, and we dive deep into topics like healthy habits, personal development, and rockin productivity! This week I discuss working at home and how you can make the most of a non traditional office environment. But first, if you have been looking for a way to connect with other ambitious early risers, I think you would love The 5 AM Miracle Community group on Facebook. This community group is unique because everyone is highly motivated to help everyone else achieve their goals. Don t worry, you don t have to wake up at sunrise to join this group. Just visit JeffSanders.com/community and I will approve your request to join within 24 hours. Once again, that s JeffSanders.com/community.

4 4 Now, let s begin with this week s feature segment! [Fade Music Up and Out] More people work from home than ever before. In fact, even when you exclude entrepreneurs, the non self employed population working from home has increased by 103% since million employees (2.8% of the workforce) now work from home at least half the time. From 2013 to 2014, the employee population as a whole grew by 1.9%, while employees who telecommute grew 5.6%. Since more people are working from home, this means that more people need intentional productivity strategies than ever before. At home, there is no boss looking over your shoulder watching your every move. You may not have a specific clock in or clock out time. You may have endless distractions in your home office.

5 5 Despire the benefits of working from home (like recording this podcast in my underwear) you may have a multitude of factors that are standing between you and your most productive self. And no, I am fully dressed. But, I don t have to be. 10 Productivity Hacks for Working from Home 1.Treat your home office like a real office because it is one. a.buy the equipment and supplies you need. b.organize your working space well. c. For video chats, clean the space behind you, so you look professional. d.customize your home office.. i. Standing desk ii. Work next to a window iii. Decorate it well iv. Make it your own space 2.Clean and organize your entire home from top to bottom. a.your whole house is your company. b.keep everything organized and you will get

6 6 more done. 3.Create a highly structured daily work schedule. a.start time. b.clock out time. c. Ideal Week schedule d.morning routine 5 AM Miracle e.create FBOTs... 4.Work in FBOTs Focused Blocks of Time a.eliminate distractions to focus on your highest priority. b.tell others not to bother you. c. Don t answer the doorbell or the telephone. d.keep your pets happy and out of the way. 5.Schedule time for home projects during your work breaks. a.take advantage of the fact that you re home. b.do your laundry during your lunch break. c. Walk your dog between FBOTs. d.wash your dishes when most people are on their evening commute home. 6.Stay hyper aware of the schedules of everyone you live with. a.know when to work from home and when to work at Starbucks. b.schedule work projects around the schedules of

7 7 your spouse, children, roommates, etc. 7.Don t distract yourself. a.don t watch TV during the workday. b.don t check social media. c. Discipline yourself to stay on task. 8.Wear headphones instead of using your home speaker system. a.headphones keep you focused. b.speakers are good for chores and physical activities. c. Headphones are best for work at the computer. 9.Eat healthier than you normally would. a.fill your kitchen with healthy food and drinks. b.stay hydrated, caffeinated, and well fed. c. You have an obligation to maintain your health. 10. Build in Social Time a.be intentional about seeing others. b.try not to isolate yourself too much. Quick Review of the 10 Productivity Hacks for Working From Home 1.Treat your home office like a real office because it is one. 2.Clean and organize your entire home from top to

8 8 bottom. 3.Create a highly structured daily work schedule. 4.Work in FBOTs Focused Blocks of Time 5.Schedule time for home projects during your work breaks. 6.Stay hyper aware of the schedules of everyone you live with. 7.Don t distract yourself. 8.Wear headphones instead of using your home speaker system. 9.Eat healthier than you normally would. 10. Build in Social Time [Fade In Spring in My Step ] Now, I want to tell you a little more about why I love my Jabra wireless headphones. Wireless Comfortable in ear design Designed for active workouts, running, and cross training activities Pair really well with my favorite running app on my iphone (Strava) Pulse: built in heart rate monitor

9 9 Sport Coach: built in motion sensor and live feedback Every month you will have the chance to win a free pair of Jabra Headphones. WINNER for the April Jabra Promotion: Mark Osterhoff Enter at Jabra.com/5am. Once again, that s Jabra.com/5am. I also want to tell you a little more about FreshBooks. For most entrepreneurs, time is the one thing that always seems to be in short supply. Tons to do, and never enough time to get it all done. The good news is our friends at FreshBooks feel your pain. They have created an amazingly simple invoicing solution for entrepreneurs who need to focus on their work, not their paperwork. And invoicing is only the beginning. Their mobile app lets you take pictures of your receipts and organize them for later, which makes tax time a breeze.

10 10 FreshBooks is offering my listeners a free 30 day trial with no credit card required. Go to FreshBooks.com/5am and enter 5 AM in the How Did You Hear About Us? section. That s FreshBooks.com/5am. [Fade Out Music] Announcement HUGE Thank you to everyone who voted for The 5 AM Miracle in the 2016 Podcast Awards! This show was nominated in 2 different categories: Health and People s Choice! Voting Begins NOW for the Podcast Awards and it runs daily for 2 weeks, ending on Sunday June 12th. There is good news and bad news here. The good news is that I believe we have a really good shot at winning this year. The nomination process was dramatically different this year and I think it puts this show at a keen advantage to win. The bad news is that we have a small mountain

11 11 to climb to make this happen, and that s where you come in. In order to win, I need you to vote for this show every day until June 12th. I know, that s asking a lot. Really, it is. It s not easy for me to take up your time, especially when I know how important it is to you and your life s grandest goals. But, if the voting process is super simple and quick. I didn t create this voting system, and it s certainly not ideal, but I have to work with what I ve got. So, I m hoping you will join me this year and vote for this show, along with all of your other favorite podcasts. To vote, go to PodcastAwards.com. There is also an article on my website at JeffSanders.com that explains this process in more detail. If you have any questions, feel free to me, jeff@jeffsanders.com, and thank you so much for your support! I really do appreciate it. :)

12 12 Now, on to this week s tip... Make your work and living spaces beautiful. Parents visited us in Nashville. Spent 2 days overhauling our flower beds. Now have a beautiful lawn, new flowers, plants, and a gorgeous space to spend time in. Before they arrived, I didn t know how to landscape. I didn t have the tools, resources, or knowledge to even begin to tackle the messy yard outside. The funniest part is that my neighbor right across the street is a professional landscaper. I know he has an opinion of my yard because the second he saw my parents and I outside working he came right over and began offering his advice. Since my parents left, I have become obsessed with improving my yard. Now that I have the tools, resources, and knowledge to take care of yard on my own, I can t help but see all kinds of future projects everywhere. I now look at my house and can envision so many wonderful improvements. It s kind of overwhelming, but in a really good

13 13 way. My recommendation is to improve the physical appearance of the spaces you spend the most time in. Since I work from home, improving the flower bed that I stare at throughout the day right outside my home office window was the best place to begin. For your own setup, the best solution is to gut what you have and start over. But, that is a lot of work. So, determine what would improve your space the most and start there. There was no doubt that my home needed a severe landscaping overhaul, which is why I m so happy with the end result. The areas you are in the most, or the areas that are the most sloppy, dirty, or unorganized are the best places to begin. [Opening Night Music] Action Steps: #1 Create (and write down) your plan to stay productive no matter where you work.

14 14 Focusing on your high priority tasks is tough, especially when you re in an environment that breeds distraction. Whether you work at home or in a crazy office, or at coffee shop, there will be distractions and you need an intentional plan to ensure you stay focused on your work. Take a few minutes today and consider the strategies I discussed in the episode. Which of these would help you the most on a daily basis? Choose 2 3 strategies and implement them right away. Seriously. Don t put this off. :) #2 Create a daily recurring reminder in your task manager to vote in the 2016 Podcast Awards. This is key. I wouldn t be a great productivity coach if I didn t recommend you create an automated system to remind yourself to do something. No matter what calendar or task manager you use, create a recurring reminder for all of your important tasks. It would be amazing if one of those was voting for this show for the next 2 weeks, so keep that one in mind. Thanks!

15 15 #3 Make a plan to improve the appearance of your work and living spaces. You may not need to completely gut your current setup and start over, but you will certainly benefit from making a simple plan to improve the physical appearance of the spaces you spend the most time in. Take a look around your office. Look at your lawn. Study the interior of your car. These are spaces that could be more beautiful and that increased beauty could make you more productive, less stressed, and likely, a lot happier on a daily basis. [Fade In Music] As always, if you would like to see the complete list of the links I mentioned in this episode, please visit the show notes page at JeffSanders.com/153, as in Episode 153. Also, I would be grateful if you would rate my podcast in itunes. That helps tremendously with keeping my podcast visible so that people who have never heard of it can

16 16 discover it. I created a quick 2 minute video that shows you how to rate and review any podcast, which you can watch at JeffSanders.com/review Or, just head on over to JeffSanders.com/itunes to leave your review right now. Finally, on the podcast next week I will be interviewing Catherine Plano. Catherine and I will be discussing the unconscious mind and using visualization to connect with new belief systems. This is uncharted territory on this podcast and I m excited to dive in! Well, that's it for this episode of The 5 AM Miracle Podcast. Until next time remember, you have the power to change your life, and the fun begins bright and early. [Fade Music Up and Out]

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#151: 7 Productive Habits to Complete Before 7:00 AM. May 16, 2016

1 #151: 7 Productive Habits to Complete Before 7:00 AM May 16, 2016 Introduction [Play Hiking ] This rockin episode of The 5 AM Miracle Podcast is being brought to you by Nozbe. If you have listened to