There are many benefits to working at home. No boss to answer to, no alarm clock waking you in the wee hours of the morning, no traffic or outrageous gas prices to deal with. You can make your own schedule to accommodate your family (a huge benefit if you have small children), your hobbies and any other commitments you may have. These benefits come with some drawbacks as well. It is very important and essential to your success, that you keep focused and productive while maintaining a happy home environment. When working at home, you lose the structure of a "work environment". Following, are some tips to help you achieve this. 1. Office Space. You will need some place to "set up shop" in your home. This can be anything from a spare room or a table set up in the basement to a corner of the kitchen table. Once you find a spot, it should be stocked with whatever you need to do your work and stay organized. You may also want to hang a diploma or name plate. Do whatever is needed to make this a professional looking work space. Once this is achieved, everyone in the home should know and respect this as your office. Make it known that it is off-limits during your working hours. 2 Stay Energized and Motivated. Anyone can get discouraged by setbacks. Since you have no co-workers to talk with when setbacks occur, you have no way to vent. A great way to deal with this is to join an online network or forum of home based workers. This is a great way to bounce around ideas and concerns you may have. If needed, on a nice day, move your office outside or go to lunch with friends. Flexibility is a key benefit to being your own boss. Do whatever it takes to get you motivated and back on track 3 Scheduling. Decide your working hours. This should include your break times as well as lunch time. If you have small children, it may be best for you to work when your children are at school. Other's find they do their best work early in the morning or late at night. Find out what time of the day you are most productive. Once you determine this, stick to it. It is vital to your success to be consistent. You can also break down your day as to when you will answer emails, make phone calls, work on advertising, etc. Also, make note of any priority tasks. It might be advisable to keep a note board near your work space where you can write down any tasks that need your attention. You are your boss as well as your employee. So you will have to answer to yourself when things don't go right. 4. Dress for Success. Yes, it is nice to be able to sit in your P.J.'s with your hair undone wearing your fuzzy slippers. However, this could make you feel less like a business person. You might feel as if you have a day off instead of a day at work. You don't necessarily have to wear a suit or dress, but you should wear something that puts you in a professional frame of mind. This frame of mind will influence the tone of your voice while on the phone as well as any email correspondence. 5. Know When to Say When. Mastering all of the above is a great accomplishment. Well done! Now, you must learn when to call it a day. When working at home it is easy to keep going whenever you can. This will not only cut into your personal time but also your family time. Make sure to set limits so you can enjoy life! [Link removed - Admin]
Also, develop a business plan. In other words know exactly what you are trying to accomplish. These could be complicated plans or just basic goal setting.
Very good tips here. I am looking forward to the day when I can stop commuting when I don't feellike it. The day when I acn earn a decent living frommy home office.
Momsy, Welcome to the forums here - Dream big - aim for the stars - and the day will come when you will be posting YOUR success story on here! I recommend working your 'at - home' business a consistent hour or two a day , even if you are still at a j.o.b....it is actually better to get your business up and going before you quit your j.o.b. , I think ... as for most people, it takes awhile to get it to where you can replace your income totally.... I am an 'at-home businesss-Mom'...but it does take work.The beauty of it all is that I get to be here with my kids while I do it! Viola
The tips are helpful. I've been struggling with kids and home responsibilities vs. working at home on the computer. My first job is SAHM, but money is tight so recently I've invested in starting to learn internet marketing stuff hoping to make a few bucks to help out, and doing paid surveys. These things take time and it's so hard to not want to just have the time to do something in one chunk of oh, say 15 min. even without the kids needing something. It's very frustrating. Having just gotten back from vacation though, I've learned that the kids are better when they get my full on attention (no computer on vacation!) and so I really need to try to get things done only when the kids and house are taken care of first. Hard still though, especially when there is so much to read and learn and the excitment of wanting to implement things and get going!
Quoting: moneyforgreeneI've learned that the kids are better when they get my full on attention (no computer on vacation!) and so I really need to try to get things done only when the kids and house are taken care of first. Hard still though, especially when there is so much to read and learn and the excitment of wanting to implement things and get going! That sounds like me, in a handbasket!But you are so right...our kids come first.I really have to watch out for that, too.(I still have 4 kids at home..)My 'puter time' is often late at night when they are all in bed - but you know, the really neat thing about it all , is that we can be SAHM's and still be learning all this stuff ,inbetween taking care of family... Thanks for sharing!So good to know that others have the same things to work through and hear their experiences... Viola
Viola - Yes, I feel very lucky to be able to be home. It wasn't my original plan but got laid off a month after I got married and then kids came and we were managing and in a dream world, that's what DH wanted for the kids anyway, so it's worked out for all of us. It's a little hard on me sometimes to not have the accomplishments of working and the paycheck and the pat on the back, but I adore my kids (2 at home, 1 & 3) and love that I see them grow, play, talk, etc. You know what I mean. As for time to putter around, night time doesn't usually work for me. DH gets home around 5:30, we all do dinner, baths, bedtimes by 8pm and then DH and I catch up on emails 'til about 8:30pm, then watch a couple Tivo'd tv shows (which we're so far behind we're losing some b/c there isn't enough room on the tivo) and then I'm in bed or I'll be a cranky Mom in the morning. There really isn't enough time in the day and really no time of my own which also wares on me. I guess I could tell DH I'm not going to watch tv a couple nights, but I like the shows we watch together. Though I've told him that we watch too much. Anyway, just rambling now. I have a good life but only wish there was more time in the day to do all the things I'd like to do! And I love sleep, so not giving that up!!
Quoting: moneyforgreeneI have a good life but only wish there was more time in the day to do all the things I'd like to do! And I love sleep, so not giving that up!! You ARE blessed,girl!Enjoy those babies while you have the chance!!They will grow up ALL too quickly - believe me - Viola
I think the biggest thing to remember is to treat your business like a business and not a hobby! Now, I have 6 running around, so I have to be flexible, but I know I want to put in at least an hour or 2. One nice thing is that I can work with my kids around me, sitting on my lap, well as long as they are not pushing on the keys on the computer. LOL Setting a schedule is sometimes hard for me, but I know I have to put in some time and be consistent!! When searching for something you also have to look at it down the road 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, etc. Is this something you will continue to do? I think that's important also.
Great tips here for all of us moms! When my boys were all home with me, I wasn't building a business, so I don't have much to add to that, I'm sure it's a juggling act. I started working from home when they were in school full time. Now, I have a few hours daily to work on my business, which is all it takes. I do alot of volunteering with their schools and the baseball association, and my Dh works a very crazy schedule, plus is on call 24/7, so it can be a little chaotic to find time for everything. The kids and family stuff comes first and then I work on the business, somedays it might only be an hour, others it may be 3 hours, for me it's just a matter of doing something for my business to stay on track. It may be during the day or if other things are going on, then it's later at night when they're in bed and Dh is at work. You just have to find what works for you and your family.
