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| Separating
Work From Work at Home |
Copyright
© Kim Haas
In order to work from home effectively, you will need to establish some
limits or rules which you, your family and friends can live with. You
and only you can decide what it takes for the perfect balance. When
those balance scales tip in either direction, you are going to be
facing problems you might not have been prepared to deal with. Here are
some tips for helping to keep the balance in your business and your
home.
Work Schedule Being self employed gives us the opportunity to work
flexible hours and set our own hours, however you must also remain
disciplined enough to spend the time necessary to make your business
go. You can't expect to just set up shop and then walk away from it.
Any new business requires 2 to 4 years of hard work before you can
begin enjoying the benefits of being a business owner. On the other
hand, you can't work constantly and not expect your family to end up
resenting you for it.
- Set up a schedule for yourself that will not be too stressful. If you
don't follow a set schedule, you could be adding additional stress to
your life instead of avoiding it by working for yourself. Be sure to
allow yourself time for family, exercise, play and business. You'll
find that by using an appointment calendar, you can easily plan for
activities without cutting any area short.
- Working from home allows you to work late into the evening. This
could cause work "burnout", so be sure to make up a realistic schedule
and stick to it. Symptoms of burnout include lack of energy,
unhappiness with your business, poor job performance, isolation,
negativity and increased illness. Take time for yourself as well as
your business.
Housework Keeping your home in order when you have a home office can be
difficult. If you're a tidy person, you probably won't be able to just
walk past those dirty dishes in the sink or that pile of laundry
screaming your name during your work hours. Resisting the urge to clean
up is a "learned response". It sometimes takes practice to be able to
step over the toys lying in the hallway instead of picking them up and
putting them in the kids' rooms. If you can't learn to do this, you
will probably have a difficult time concentrating on your business
because housework never gets done and stays that way.
This would be a good time to get your kids involved in the household
chores. Try using a weekly Chore Chart. On the left side of our chore
chart, write a list of things that the kids can handle doing on their
own; cleaning their room, feeding the dog, taking out the garbage etc.
Provide blank spaces for additional chores the kids do on their own
without being asked. Each evening the kids check off which chores they
completed and at the end of the week, tally up marks and hand out
allowances. Plan on using some of your free time in the evenings or
weekends for handling the work that can't or doesn't get done.
Family When you work out of your home, you need to make special
considerations with your family and pets in relation to customers in
your home.
- Make certain your children know that your work space is off limits to
them. Your office equipment, files and supplies are an important part
of your business and should not left lying around the house. If your
office is in a separate area of your home, teach your children to knock
on the door, especially if your door is closed.
- Be sure to let everyone know your office hours to minimize unexpected
drop-ins during your work or personal time. Having a neighbor drop in
for coffee while you're servicing a customer or holding an important
business meeting looks unprofessional, not to mention it could be
embarrassing for you.
- If you have pets in your home, try to keep them out of the area where
you are working. Some people have allergies and others simply don't
like animals. If you are expecting a client to visit your home office,
make sure your dog or cat is kept away from them.
Simple scheduling can make a big difference when you work at home. By
finding the perfect balance between work and family, you'll find that
you are much more productive in your home business and your family will
be a lot easier to get along with.
About the author:
Kim Haas is a WAHM and Founder of http://Womans-Net.com,
a popular online networking community focusing on working from home and
women in business and Owner of http://Article-Host.com.
To learn more about Kim, visit http://kimberlyhaas.com
Copyright 2005 |
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