I Quit ... For the Day

Let's talk work/life balance.

One of my coaching clients is working from home for the first time and is having a difficult time leaving at the end of the day. On a recent Sales Vault workshop, he reported feeling like he needed to get “just one more thing done” which of course was followed by just one MORE thing. He asked if anyone has any experience in this area.

Ummmmm, yeah. I do. Having worked from home since 1982 (quite literally), I know a thing or two about calling it a day.

I told him two things need to be in place in order for me to leave the office guilt-free:

First, I want to feel as though I had a productive day. That is, it's easier for me to leave with a clear conscious when I have accomplished some tasks and moved the sales needle. Otherwise, I feel guilty or worse, rush through something just to have a good answer to Allison's question, "What did you achieve today?" Productivity, however, is not a given. I'm not guaranteed to have knocked off some tasks simply because I went down the list and prioritized on the fly. This first component which allows me to leave work behind is directly connected to and set up by the second one…

Preparation. I read recently that we get no more than 3 hours per day of deeply focused work. So, in order to leave for the day, I need to know precisely what I will spend my focus time on. That is, what is the day’s top task; is it top priority? Next, I want to have identified 3 minor tasks which are the next most important. Finally, I will add 3 maintenance tasks. (can be business or personal) to the list. This might be content creation or even making a doctor’s appointment. Once I have this 3/3/3 set up done, I can feel good about the day ahead. Couple that with the feeling of having had a productive day, I am homebound with a smile on my face!

Prior to Covid, everyone thought working from home was a cushy existence. I will be the first to tell you we remote workers work harder than if we were in an office. There are less distractions and we pick up extra time by not commuting. By setting the day up and then engaging that plan, we can cross the threshold from one room to the next and not feel as though we are leaving something undone.

The Sales Vault has downloads, scripts, and templates to go along with its weekly live workshops and sales training courses. Visit SalesVault.pro or call Bill Farquharson at 781-934-7036.