Tips for Running Your eCommerce Store While Working from Home

We all romanticize the idea of working from home. Working from home allows you to skip the commute and lounge about in your sweats while working when you want how you want.

Right?

While working from home certainly has some benefits, it also can be incredibly challenging. You may have kids, your spouse, or the alluring couch all distracting you. 

Working from home is a brand new territory for many people who are now practicing social distancing. All of a sudden, some people who never thought they would actually work from home have to. No matter what the circumstances are, working from home can be quite an adjustment, especially for eCommerce business owners. 

How can you grow your eCommerce store with mounting distractions and your team at a distance? 

In this post, we will share some key tips for running your eCommerce store while working from home. 

Create a Productive Home Office

Remember those dreams of working right from the comfort of your bed or cozy couch? Yeah, throw them out. In order to effectively work from home, you need a productive space. A dedicated workspace will help you still feel like you are in a separate area for work, making it easier to separate work and home life. 

Creating a completely separate home office is ideal, but not a reality for all of us, especially since we couldn’t plan for social distancing. The most important thing is that you set up a space that is right for you. The keys to a productive workspace are to:

• Separate your workspace and personal space. Consider using a room divider. 
• Keep your space organized and clutter-free. 
• Use ergonomic furniture to ensure you are comfortable and supported. 

Team Collaboration

Once you have your workspace set up, you need to implement a system for collaborating with your team. If you are used to working in the same office as your team, working from home will seem like a big change. However, you should always design your collaborative systems to handle remote work so that you are ready for anything and have digital records of everything you need. There are types of tools that will help you with collaboration. These include:

• Communication: You need a system for business communication that is quick and simple. Do not rely on email. The email chains quickly get messy and disorganized. Instead, opt for a communications app like Slack or Skype to facilitate direct messaging between all team members. 
• Meetings: Regular meetings will help you and your team stay on the same page and make sure everyone knows what they should be doing. Hold meetings as often as you need to for your team. One of the top video conferencing apps available is Zoom
• Managing Projects: Keeping remote work organized and efficient can be challenging. Using a project management tool, like Trello, can help you track individual projects and tasks to ensure everyone stays on track. 
• File Storage. To collaborate remotely, all relevant team members will need to access documents and files. We highly recommend you digitally store and share these regardless of where you work, but it is critical when working from home. The two top online storage and sharing options are Google Drive and Dropbox. 

How to Work from Home Efficiently 

A proper setup is only the beginning when it comes to working from home. To get the most out of working from home, you must be very disciplined. Here are a few more tips for effectively working from home. 

• Get dressed! You certainly don’t need a freshly pressed suit to work from home, but changing out of your pajamas and getting ready will help put you in the frame of mind to work from home. 
• Meal prep. Taking time out of your day to cook lunch can take away from your work time. Prep all of your lunches for the week ahead on Sunday and you can avoid spending too much time in the kitchen when you should be working. 
• Take planned breaks. Breaks are important no matter where you are working from, but at home, the dirty dishes can feel like they are burning a hole in the back of your head. Give yourself assigned breaks with specified time limits. 
• Avoid distractions. Working at home is full of distractions. You may have children, pets, spouses, noises, and chores all begging for your attention. Set boundaries with your spouse and children, and try to find a quiet place to work. If this is not possible, use noise-canceling headphones. 
• No TV. Do not try to work while watching Netflix, surfing social media, etc. Act like you are at work. Keep the TV off and limit phone use. 
• Set an end time. When you work from home, it is difficult to stop working. Set a time to end your work, and stop working! After your work is the time for household tasks, spending time with family, and enjoying Netflix. 

Whether you are working from home due to current circumstances or that is your typical work style, the tips above can help you be more productive while working from home. Listing Mirror is here to help you run your eCommerce business from home. Our #1 multichannel listing software makes it easier than ever to manage listings, order fulfillment, inventory syncing, and warehouse systems so that you can more effectively run your eCommerce business. Learn more about how we can help you run your business from home by contacting us HERE.