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  • When Worlds Collide

    Author: Elena Fawkner
    When Worlds Collide

    © 2002 Elena Fawkner

    For many people, working from home sounds like an ideal
    arrangement. You don't have to waste time commuting to
    and from the office, you can be home for your children
    when they come home from school, you don't have to
    answer to anyone but yourself and you can work the hours
    that suit YOU, not your boss. All very well in theory.

    On the other side of the coin, though, are the challenges
    of working from home. Working your own hours all too often
    means working all hours if you don't set a workday schedule,
    while rowdy children can become an almighty challenge
    when you need to present a professional image to the
    prospective client you're speaking with on the telephone.

    The fundamental key to a successful transition to a home-
    based business is to keep your business and personal lives
    as separate as possible. Decide up front how many (and
    which) hours of the day you're going to allocate to your
    business and stick to this schedule. What you don't get
    done during today's business hours can and should wait
    until tomorrow. Don't succumb to the temptation of allowing
    your business to encroach on your personal and family time.

    One effective way to keep your business and personal lives
    separate is to have separate areas of the house for each. If
    at all possible, allocate a room of your house or apartment
    exclusively as your business office. Make sure that all
    members of your family understand that when you're in that
    room, you're working and not available except in an
    emergency. Likewise, don't use that room for any non-work
    activity such as a TV room (this is also an important point
    if you intend to claim your home office as a tax deduction).

    By strictly separating areas in this way, you'll reinforce in
    your mind (and the minds of other family members) that
    your office is a place of business and is to be treated as
    such. Just as your family will learn to respect these boundaries,
    it will also help you to "switch off" at the end of your work
    day if you can literally shut the door of your office and return
    "home" to your family.

    There is one temptation that, if indulged, can easily blur the
    line between your business and personal lives. That's
    attending to non-business tasks during the hours you have
    allocated to business. Avoid leaving your office to run a load
    of laundry, unload the dishwasher, clean the bathroom or
    organize the kitchen cabinets ... any of the myriad of things
    that can assume an almost overwhelming urgency in the face
    of that business task you're putting off starting. These sorts
    of distractions will only serve to keep you in your office much
    longer than necessary.

    Another important tip for keeping your two worlds separate
    is to have separate business telephone, modem and fax lines.
    Do NOT allow your children to answer your business phone.
    You may think it's adorable but trust me, it isn't. It's
    annoying. Arrange for a voicemail service to take your
    business calls during your non-business hours. Similarly, when
    you're working, try to ensure your children are otherwise
    occupied when you make business calls. The last thing you
    need when trying to convince that prospective new client
    that you should win his account is a screaming five year old
    right next to you.

    If you have very young children, hire a sitter for the times
    of the day or week when you know you'll be conducting
    business on the telephone. If you have older children,
    deputize one or more of them to occupy younger siblings.
    You might want to pay your 'deputy' for this service as a
    way for him or her to earn some income or pocket money.
    The money you spend on sitting services will be more than
    offset by the new business you'll win as a result of the
    professional image you will be able to project to prospective
    and existing clients and customers.

    As important as it is to choose for your business something
    you love to do, don't allow your business to take you away
    from your family. After all, your family was likely one of
    the primary reasons you decided to work from home in the
    first place.

    It is one thing to be present physically. It is quite another
    to be present mentally and emotionally. The more rounded
    you are as a person, the more you bring to the table both
    personally and professionally. The enjoyable activities you
    engage in in your non-business hours can energize your
    business life. So, instead of thinking about the work you
    could be doing on Sunday when you're at the beach, think
    of the fun you have on that day as an investment in your
    business for the coming week.

    Give 100% of yourself to work during the time allocated to
    work. Then shut the door on it. Your family deserves 100%
    too.

    ------

    ** Reprinting of this article is welcome! **
    This article may be freely reproduced provided that: (1) you
    include the following resource box; and (2) you only mail to
    a 100% opt-in list.
    Here's the resource box to use if reprinting this article:

    ------

    Elena Fawkner is editor of A Home-Based Business Online ...
    practical business ideas, opportunities and solutions for the
    work-from-home entrepreneur.
    http://www.ahbbo.com


    About the Author

    Elena Fawkner is editor of A Home-Based Business Online ...
    practical business ideas, opportunities and solutions for the
    work-from-home entrepreneur.
    http://www.ahbbo.com

    ...

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