Maintain A Healthy Balance
That means a lot of people are balancing the competing demands of their work and their households, where children and other necessities make their presence felt. It’s the epitome in convenience coupled with the challenge of keeping on track, given the push and pull of two major demands under one roof.
There are some compromises to be made. Volunteering for school or charity work may have to be put on hold until it can be successfully undertaken without sacrificing time that might be spent adding to your income. The at-home business person may have to create a personal gauge for measuring what is most important on a day-by-day basis.
And unless the person who works from home is well-disciplined, there is a tendency to skip work for what seems at the moment to fall into that “important” category.
Schedule Your Time Wisely
The solution, experts say, is to set definite boundaries and firm time schedules. If your children know from long experience that from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. is your work time, they will likely respect that time frame. On your side, it is necessary that you remember not to become so immersed in what you are doing that you forget it’s time to prepare dinner. When it’s time to shut down the computer, shut down the computer. If the schedule is maintained consistently, all parties will benefit. Some at-home workers say they wait until everyone else is in bed if they have left-over work that just won’t keep, rather than violate the accepted routine.
Scheduling important calls for times when children are occupied will save the embarrassment of having them interrupt. They’re famous for that, inevitably picking the moment that the call goes through to engage in an argument or otherwise disrupt your business. If they have a regular nap time or are in school, that’s the time for important calls.
Include Family Members As Partners
Getting the children on board as invested partners in the business is smart. Let them see how the results of your productivity affect them positively. When you have a particularly successful period at work, get them a special treat and be sure they know that the treat is the result of uninterrupted time at your work. As one mother described how it works for her, “They know that their job is to play so that Mommy can work.” A father said he gives his growing boys assignments to make their home business succeed. “The boys have both expressed interest in running their own business some day,” he said. “They are getting a daily education that you wouldn’t be able to get any place else.
A Positive Attitude Helps
Stay positive. When the going gets tough, recite the benefits: No travel to work. No boss. Little or no overhead. Freedom to set your own parameters. A greater amount of control over your own financial destiny. Flexibility when you really need it.
Believe in yourself. If you don’t believe you can make your home business work, it won’t.