|
With the holidays around the corner, you may find yourself
struggling to keep your home-based business and your home life
separate and running smoothly. And you're not alone.
Operating a home-based business has many benefits as you already
know, but its main drawback is that it often causes the line between
your work and your personal life to become permanently blurred.
Unlike those individuals who work outside the home and who know
their day at the office ends when they get in their car and start
the commute home, home business operators do not usually have a
definite end to their day.
The reverse situation is also possible: they may not have a definite
start to their day either. If you have a hard time breaking free of
your work responsibilities or if you sometimes have trouble settling
in to tackle them, these tips will help you bring both aspects of
your life into equilibrium.
-----------------------
Separate Your Office From Your Home
-----------------------
If your work computer is in the living
room where everyone in the family congregates, chances are you are
being bombarded by distractions. Plus, when it is time for you to
relax, you may find it difficult with the computer right there as a
constant reminder of all the work you still need to finish and all
of the communications you still need to respond to.
The answer is to set aside an area of your home just for work. If
you have an office or an extra bedroom where you can set up your
space, then you can block out the distractions simply by shutting
the door. Also avoid putting anything in your home office that might
prevent you from getting your work done, such as a television.
If you don't have an entire room to dedicate to your office, move
your computer and materials into a room that is rarely used or that
is normally unoccupied when you need to be working, such as a
bedroom. Once you have separated your home from your office, you
will find it easier to stay focused on your work but also to leave
your work in its space so you can relax and enjoy the remainder of
your home.
-----------------------
Create Specific Working Hours
-----------------------
One of the best things about running a
home-based business is undoubtedly the flexible schedule, but it can
also have negative consequences. On the one hand, your schedule may
be so flexible that you only work 30 minutes a day or so hectic that
you find yourself working at all hours of the day without taking a
break.
The answer is to set your own office hours. Creating your own
schedule still has benefits. For one, you can decide what time of
the day you start, so if you're not a morning person, you don't have
to get up at the break of dawn. Also, if you prefer to stop working
when your children come home from school, you can consider that when
you decide when to stop for the day.
Another benefit is that you provide clients and customers with a
specific times when you are available to work with them. The most
important thing to remember, however, is to set hours for yourself
that you can live with. Once you decide on a schedule, you need to
stick with it long-term, so be realistic about how long you can work
without taking a break and how much time you'll need to accomplish
everything
that needs to get done.
And, no matter how much you may be tempted to keep working, you need
to stop when you say you are going to stop. Taking a break allows
you to come back refreshed and more alert, so you can be more
productive. An overworked, overly stressed person simply is not an
effective worker at home or in an office.
-----------------------
Draw the Line Between Home and Work Communications
-----------------------
Has this ever happened to you? You and
your family have just sat down for a dinner around the table when a
client calls to talk about your current project or a customer phones
with questions about a recent purchase.
The easiest way to prevent work from interfering with your family is
to keep communications separate. Start by having a second phone line
dedicated to your work and attaching an answering machine or voice
mail to the line.
When your work day ends, you can turn on the machine and let it
handle any after-hour calls. An extra phone line also allows you to
maintain professionalism. Imagine the embarrassment of having your
young child answer the phone when an important customer calls.
You may also want to set up a post office box for all of your
business-related mail. Not only will this prevent your important
mail from accidentally getting thrown away with the junk, but it
will also offer you and your family a level of privacy.
After all, you do not want to make your home address available to
everyone; it's just not safe. If you use email or instant messaging
as part of your business communications, you'll also want to
establish separate accounts for those as well.
The key to running a home-based business is balance. While it may be
difficult to stop working on that important project or to
concentrate on work while your preparing for the holidays, striking
that balance is essential for your well-being, your family's
security, and your business's success.
*************************************
Vishal P. Rao is the editor of Home Based Business Opportunities - A
website dedicated to opportunities, ideas and resources to help you
start and run a home based business. Visit him at:
http://www.home-based-business-opportunities.com
*************************************
|
