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You may chuckle at this concept. We rarely get alone time much less have our own office. If you’re anything like me, my office has been turned into the kids’ playroom. It’s time to claim that room back. Be sure to have your own independent space that you are able to conduct business. If you are unable to reclaim your room, be sure to designate a space in your home specifically for you and your work. This may be something as simple as a dedicated place at the kitchen table. Whatever it is make it yours, and let the kids know that it is my workspace and it’s off limits.
Let’s face it. Your home gig IS totally awesome! You get to earn a living while being at home with your kiddos. Be sure to treat your job and employer like you love your gig. Don’t ditch calls. Don’t ditch emails. Don’t ditch meetings. Be available. Prove to yourself that you can be a successful working at home mom. If you can do this, you can do anything!
4 Important "Must Do's" When Working From Home
"Get Organized"
We all like to think of our home as our comfort spots. While this may be true, it is very important to turn part of that comfort spot into a well functioning business. In order for that to happen, you need to get organized. If you are already organized, good for you. If you’re not, it’s time! There is nothing more frustrating than being on an important phone call and realizing you can’t find that quote you planned on discussing with a potential client. You quickly turn from being confident about the call to being completely frazzled as you sift through piles of the kids’ homework, personal bills, and your daughter’s beautiful drawings to no avail. You don’t want to come across as a poorly planned business owner. To prevent this from happening, get organized.
You’ve been dreaming about working from home in your PJs for months now. It’s finally here. You roll out of bed and head to the kitchen for some coffee and flip on the TV to the morning show. You veg on the couch and decide to work in your jammies today. DON’T! Be sure to set your alarm the night before. When the alarm goes off jump in the shower, and get dressed for your workday just as you would if you were commuting. While it may be tempting to stay in your pajama’s, you will feel much more productive and professional once you are dressed for the day. Never underestimate the power of a shower and clean clothes.
"Get Dressed"
"Have A Designated Office"
Treat Your Home Gig Like It’s "Awesome"
When you work from home, you're constantly forced to switch mentally from work mode to family mode within minutes. You need to strike a balance between your professional and personal lives, because they happen in the same place. Here are 10 ways to find that balance:
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Minimize distractions. Some people say, "I could never work out of my home because I would have too many distractions." As a rule, minimize trips to the kitchen to get something to eat (except at mealtimes), don't turn on the television, and don't let yourself get sidetracked by personal activities such as cleaning the house or doing laundry.
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Know when to stop working. A good friend once told me that she could never have a home office because she wouldn't be able to stop working. When you work from home, you don't have far to go when you get the urge to get one more project finished. If you're single, it probably doesn't matter how long you work; but if you have a family, you'll soon hear complaints from all sides. When you stop working, really stop. Close the door to your office or close up your desk and concentrate on your family.
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Don't eat lunch at your desk. When you take a lunch break, leave your office and eat in another part of your home. Changing your scenery and physically removing yourself from your work will help to clear your mind.
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Schedule regular "dates" with your spouse and children. A freelance artist I know blocks out every Wednesday afternoon to spend with her husband. They play golf or tennis or go out to lunch. They both know that every Wednesday afternoon is their time to play, no matter what else is going on during the rest of the week.
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Take at least one weekday off per month to play. At the beginning of each month, schedule a day when you're going to stay out of your office and do something else. This would be an ideal day to catch up on reading, see a movie you've wanted to see, or just enjoy the outdoors. Let your voice mail take your calls. You'll find that taking a day off will prepare you for a month of productive work.
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Make a list of fun things you've always wanted to do, and then start doing them. Maybe you've always wanted to visit the local art museum. Look online for activities and upcoming attractions. If you've lived in the same city for years, consider taking a guided tour of the town. You'll learn more about your city in a few hours than you have in several years. The point is to keep your horizons open and not let your work consume your life.
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Use your office for business-related activities only. Instead of going to your office to read your favorite magazine or new mystery, go somewhere else in your home. This will keep you in the mind-set that your office is for business and the rest of your home is for your personal life.
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Don't use other parts of your home for business on a regular basis. If you have a favorite chair where you sit and read or watch television, don't use it for work. After a while, you won't feel that it's a place for you to relax and get away.
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Include your spouse in your business. Even though you may work in unrelated fields, it's always good to get an outside point of view. Your spouse may be able to offer a solution to a problem you've had on your mind for days. Also, if your spouse understands your work and what it involves, he or she will be less likely to resent all of the hours you put into it.
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If you and your spouse work together, avoid talking about business after hours. I know many successful business partners who are also married. They attribute their ability to work and live together to taking the focus off of their work after hours.
Five Reasons Why You Should Work From Home
1) You will actually save money. When you consider the cost of commuting, clothes to suit your position, lunch away from home (including for many the lure of the vending machine) your conventional job actually costs you money. When you work from home, you can sit around in sweat pants and a t-shirt all day and as long as you do your work- you are golden! Hungry? Go to the kitchen and eat! Save your car and your disposition by commuting each day from your bed to your desk!
2) You will save time. Not just commute time either: When you work from home, you can choose to work during your most productive time of day- or night. Seriously, not everyone is a morning person (I'm not!). If your most productive time of day is late night, when all the kids are in bed and you have some quiet time to yourself, by all means- go to work then. You don't have far to go... Also, when you are no longer working a job based on other people's time clock, you can streamline your work and find ways to be more efficient. Quite a few home based businesses offer the option of automating at least part of the work as well. There are also many types of time saving software programs available online- some of them for free.
3) You will be doing this for yourself, for reasons important to YOU. No longer will your goal be to make money for someone else. Because your success depends on your willingness to work on creating your own wealth, you have excellent motivation to succeed. If you choose your business carefully, your job security is up to YOU. Working from home can be a excellent confidence booster and a very empowering experience.
4) A work at home job can often be worked anywhere that has an internet connection; meaning it isn't just a work from home job, it's a work from a cafe in France job, a work by the fire at the ski lodge after a day of skiing job, a take your wireless card camping and work under a tree somewhere job. Your child has a recital at school at noon? Great! Do your work before or after and be at that recital! You get the idea. You don't have to miss out on what's important to you because you are chained to an office.
5) Your income doesn't depend on how much other people say you are allowed to make. As you learn business skills, you will probably find your income grows much faster than at a regular office job. When you find out what works for you and your business, you will then be able to improve upon your business plan, and tweak it to increase profits. The more effort you put in to learning and applying the skills, the more profit you can achieve. It helps of course, to choose a business that offers a lot of training and resources that you can use to start earning money quickly while you learn.