|
KEEPING THE BALANCE
"I'm At Home, But I Am At Work" When I left my '9-to-5' job to work at home, one of the biggest challenges I faced was getting friends and family members to understand that I still work. People who do not work at home have a hard time understanding the amount of time and effort involved in a home-based business. The first few months I worked at home, friends and family members were constantly interrupting me by asking me to do favors and run errands since I didn't have to work anymore. My son seems to think that Mom's being at home means all the time is play time and there is no "work stuff" to do anymore. Here are some things I did to make this transition easier: 1. Explain to friends and family members that you still work. Let them know how much time you have to dedicate to your business in order to be successful. 2. Set office hours. Let everyone know (children included) that you work during these hours. Ask them to "pretend" that you have gone to an office outside of your home. 3. Let your home answering machine take calls while you are working. 4. Stay consistent. Keep your work hours and off days the same every week. This way people will not assume you can just stop what you are doing whenever you want (or whenever they want.) 5. Most importantly, don't be afraid to say NO to anything that takes time away from your home business plans! Making the transition between a '9-to-5' job and a home-based business will not be easy, nor will it happen overnight. Setting ground rules and keeping a consistent schedule should prevent some of the stress and hard feelings this transition can put on your family. Keep in mind that this new situation can be difficult for everyone. Approach your family with the same patience and understanding that you want in return. ----------------------------------------------------------- Jayme Ringelspaugh is a Personal E-Business Consultant at the Onwave Marketing Resource Center at http://onwave.com Jayme's helpful and informative E-Marketing column called "Keeping the Balance" is published in the Tricks-4-Clicks Weekly E-zine. To Subscribe to T4C - t4c@onwave.com |