For Work-at-Home Success, Find Your Personal Style

Guest columnist Stephanie Lee of Host Agency Reviews writes a monthly column on issues faced by travel agents who work from home.

Laundry. Really? Laundry? Of all the domestic distractions vying for the attention of travel agents who work at home, how does laundry win out so often? I thought that a distraction, by default, meant doing something more enjoyable.  

Personally, I’ve never had a problem with laundry taking me away from my work (quite the opposite, really). But I have been distracted by long walks, gardening and pretty much any other alternative – less laundry – you can think of.

The Internet, both friend and foe in my work world, can be a big distraction for me. Just last week I awoke from an Internet blackout to find myself on a website explaining the different levels of our atmosphere. How I got there, I don’t know.  

It’s one of the downfalls of working from home. With flexibility and freedom comes a blurring of the line between work and your home life. 

Stephanie Lee

So how do you make sure you get the work done?

Boundaries or balance?
There’s a lot of talk about how the most successful home-based workers follow a routine. They set up office hours, dress for success every day and don’t allow interruptions during their office hours from friends or family.

In other words, they set clear boundaries.

I agree that setting up boundaries is important. But to me too rigid a setup goes against the beauty of working from home.  

Keep it flexible – and fun
Being a home-based travel agent allows you to break away from the traditional agency setting and do things in a new way. If you’re bringing the entire office environment structure to your home – and adding laundry into the mix – where’s the fun in that?!   

When you’re figuring out your work-at-home style, think outside the box. Find solutions that work for you. It’s about mixing the elements of an office environment and your home life.

Too often, we don’t cash in on the flexibility that comes with working from home and being your own boss.

Different styles
If you thrive on a set schedule, designate your office hours, but don’t lose sight of why you wanted to work from home in the first place. Add some spice into the mix. Take a few scheduled walks during the day – simply because you can!  

If you have the discipline to get the work done but want a more flexible schedule, guess what? You’re working for yourself, you can do that!

So you don’t necessarily have to be on a set schedule, but you do need to hold yourself accountable. Think of it as the Results-Only Work Environment management style turned home-based.

Personally, I get work done whether I’m working on a fixed or flexible schedule – but I’m much happier with a flexible schedule and a more goal-oriented approach.

Two agents, two styles
Some of my friends have very successful home-based agencies. I think part of why they’re so successful is they were very thoughtful in how they created their home-based work environment. Each set it up to fit her personality.

One agent friend dresses for work every day, as if she were going to a lunch meeting. Her theory is that she needs to always dress the part because she never knows who she might run into.

She’s also designated a room in the house as her office, and family members are not allowed in the office during work hours. The whole family respects that space and the boundaries she’s set up.

She loves her life as a home-based agent. It has given her the flexibility to raise a family, and her success as a travel agent comes through whenever she talks about her agency.

Earning six figures – from home
I have another agent friend who runs a corporate-focused agency from home. She pulls in six figures a year and loves the life she’s set up for herself.  

She doesn’t keep fixed hours, but when a client calls, she’s ready to book them. She’s booked tickets from the floor of her living room in her PJs, never feeling that it detracts from the services she provides. Some days she doesn’t get started until 2 p.m.

What’s the lesson here? There are different ways to work from home. The right way for you is the one where you get the work done and love what you’re doing.  

Former host agency director Stephanie Lee operates Host Agency Reviews, which features agent reviews of host agencies and tips for starting and growing a travel agency. As a new home-based business owner, she understands the challenges of self-employment. Connect with Steph on Facebook, Twitter or Google+.