Summer is the opportune time to move — road conditions are good, kids are out of school to help out, and you can get a real sense of how unruly your yard is before you sign the dotted line. However, it’s never the right time to move if you’re an entrepreneur. You’re always busy. Plus, it’s difficult enough to move offices, but it’s even more stressful to move if you’re remote.
The number of telecommuting workers grew 73 percent in only six years, and you can bet that a good portion of those are entrepreneurs. It makes a lot of sense to start a business from home. There are a lot of advantages, not to mention that you save a lot of money by opting out of an office at first. It’s a good way to test if your business is a viable idea or not.
On the other hand, it does leave you vulnerable to disruptions in your home, and nothing is more disruptive than moving. No matter if you’re just starting your business or if you have an established home office, it’s important that you maintain your productivity during the move. Here are some tips to keep you focused and productive.
Delegate
This applies both to your employees and to anyone living with you. No one should be left out of the loop on what’s expected from them, and that includes you.
Make two lists of everything that needs to happen before the move — one for the house and one for the business. We all probably have pretty similar to-dos for the house, but every business will look different. The latter will be especially dependent upon how many employees/coworkers you have.
Go through the list and mark who is responsible for what; this might need to be a joint conversation in some businesses or households. Don’t be afraid in any context to say no to extra responsibility. If you can’t handle a task, no one wants to be left scrambling to get something done that they could’ve planned for. Give plenty of notice that you’re attention will be divided elsewhere, and let others know exactly what will be expected of them.
Segment your time
Use the lists that you made in the previous section to help you out here. There is absolutely no reason to stress now that you have a list of all the things you’re responsible for getting done, and you know how much time you have to complete it.
One of the best parts about being an entrepreneur is the freedom to make your own schedule. Take advantage of that perk and split your time between moving preparations and work. Actually, you might find that one is a welcome break from the other.
You’ll likely need to take some time off to make the move possible. It’s difficult to concentrate when you know you only have X amount of time left to get everything ready. If you can’t take off a full day, then at least a half day so you’re not scrambling when the moving trucks arrive. Schedule these out as far in advance as possible, so you’ll maximize your chance at succeeding your goals for the day.
Back up everything!
The worst thing that could happen is you lose some very important business data. Make sure that you properly back up all your files. Once something like that is lost, it’s often impossible to get it back.
This includes any files that you might have physical copies of. Even if your the world’s best organizer, things can go wrong. Boxes fall off of trucks. Containers get thrown out. Just be safe and back up everything.
Set up your office first
When you finally move to your new home, the first thing you’ll want to set up is the bed, so you can get some hard-earned sleep. However, it’s important to set up your office at the first opportunity.
If you’re moving across state lines, make sure you look up any differences in business regulations from one state to the other. You might be surprised what different states require in terms of licenses and permits. This should be done ASAP. You don’t want to start out your new business in a new home with a fine or worse.
You want to transition from working at one location to another as seamlessly as possible. That means securing your internet connection in advance, setting up any ports you may need, and getting your favorite stress ball in place. You’re likely familiar with what setup works best for you, so recreating that ASAP is essential to getting back into your productivity groove.
It’ll be one heck of a week when moving comes around, but remember that you’re doing this for a reason. Whether it’s for family or business, this decision will pay off in the end. You need to remain as balanced and productive as possible, especially now. Being an entrepreneur is often about scrambling to make your dream a reality, but here, at least, you should just try to make it through the whole ordeal.