Working from home can be an excellent way to combine business with family, but it also may be a problem when it comes to keeping the boundaries between work and pleasure. You will need to have excellent time management skills, be clear with your family about when you will be working, and have an area in your home that is designated at your private work space. This can be accomplished, but you must set it up correctly from the very beginning in order to make it all fall into place.
Managing your time is crucial when you are working from home. You will no longer be commuting, so make the best of this time by spending it with your family or getting a jump on the day’s work. I used to commute at least three hours a day, six days a week, so that was eighteen hours that I was able to devote to setting up by Internet business. If you think of it this way, it seems like a real advantage.
I had a serious talk with my family when I started working out of my home office. I told them I did not want to have to close the door while I was working, so the rule is that if I am in my office I am not to be disturbed unless it is an emergency. That put the burden on me to make sure I did not sit at the computer endlessly, or get caught up with phone calls. I make my own schedule and stick to it.
My office at home is an area where no one else is allowed to be. I use two computers and a printer for my business, and this equipment is off limits to everyone except for me. I have another computer that is available to anyone who visits my home, and I never use that one. It is in another area of the house, so there is never any confusion. Everyone has as much access as they want and need to the Internet and other applications. Laying the ground rules in the beginning will make this entire process go more smoothly. Dr. Jeanette Cates and I put together a short report on how to manage your time when you work online that is available for download.
More from my site
Time Management For Marketers – Get Organized Now!- Opportunities After The Recession
Time Management For Busy Online Marketers
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Time Management For Marketers – Plan What You Want To Accomplish Online
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I’m really glad I don’t have to worry about others in my home because I don’t know if I would have as much discipline as you Connie. But I like your ideas. When i moved here I did set up an office but now have migrated to the living room so I can be on the computer all the time – not necessarily doing business but just ‘doing’ – that’s not a good thing. Perhaps I should reassess. Thanks for the tips on that part.
Terrie
Hi Connie,
I have been working from home for over 10 years developing websites and marketing on line. When the kids went into their teens, I wanted to be there when they got home from school and be able to go to all their activities, sports, concerts etc. You are absolutely right about time management and for me as well was letting the neighbors politely know that Monday thru Friday were work days and I could not socialize during work hours. If you are going to work from home, you are in charge of your business and it does have to be taken seriously as a business if you plan to succeed.
Great article and very helpful,
Cheryl
I was just talking to my wife about this the other day! Our goal is to run our internet marketing business from home as soon as we can. I was explaining to her that I would need a specific block of the day alone in the home office without being disturbed by the kids. This topic came up as I was trying to edit a video and our little 2 year old was running around and asking for daddy. Thanks for the tips Connie!
Great comments! Thanks so much. Yes, managing our time is the key to success
when we are working from home.
Connie
Connie,
As one who has worked from home for almost 20 years, it is as natural to me as breathing. Most everyone knows that I am working during the day unless I say that I am not. Friends feel free to ask for a lunch date or a coffee date, but I feel just as free to say no if it’s not the best decision. I love having the freedom of choice, but since my financial well being depends upon my managing my time, it is not a struggle. I have an office in my home that is just that — my office. It’s as nicely appointed as the bank manager’s office, and work is the only thing I do here. A comfortable office with beautiful things in it that are meaningful to me make my work more enjoyable. Thanks for bringing up an important subject, especially to those who are just getting used to the idea that home and business really co-exist quite nicely.
Jeanne
You are such an inspiration. Great idea to have a computer that others can use. I knew there was a reason we kept an old laptop.
I work in the lounge room like Terrie, when we moved here from the city, we decided that having the garden view was advantageous to both the ambience and the atmosphere. a couple of times we have moved it to other parts of the house and we than do the move back.
This is great advice. I tend to “work” all the time, but when I use my timer and focus for 45 minutes, then break for 15 minutes, I get a lot more done. I used to stay nailed to the chair at the desktop computer, but lately I’ve been on the couch with the laptop. I feared I’d feel a bit less inclined to work on the couch, but it seems the reverse is true. Weird.
Once upon a time I had a room to write in, back when my computer wasn’t online. I’d totally forgotten that. From time to time my man would come see if I was still alive or what. Hee. Wonder if he’d like me back in that office instead of taking up his foot room when he crashes on the couch.
What’s my point? I dunno. Maybe office envy. Hmm.
Hi Connie,
Great tips, and I couldn’t agree more ~ need to set the rules and make it clear to your family and friends from the beginning. A must – more than one cumputer in the home, one for everyone else and yours for business. I’m like Connie, I have two, a laptop and a desktop and my husband has his own and we never share.
When his laptop started giving him problems we thought for a moment maybe he could use my laptop but both of us quickly changed our minds and said “NO” Instead he went out and bought a new laptop. Now we have an extra one in the house just in case.
Good luck to you Jeff, we don’t have kids in the home so I don’t know what I would do if I did, tough to manage your time and space with little ones running around.
Tina
Tina