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How To Separate Your Personal Life from Your Business
One
of the hardest parts of running a home business is separating
your work from your family and social life. Here are
six proven ways to keep your home life running smoothly
while keeping your business on track.
If you work from home, chances are you already know
that you’re really pulling “double duty”.
You probably work on your business while doing the laundry,
corralling the kids, or fixing dinner... and let’s
not forget all the phone calls from family and friends
expecting you to run errands or just "go out"
for an afternoon of fun.
1.
First, create a work schedule and stick with it.
It may be tempting to answer personal calls during the
day or take business calls after-hours, but doing this
actually shows that you’re expendable – not
dependable – and people will take for granted that
you’ll “always be there” for any little
things that come up. Even though family comes first,
stay true to your business hours and resist the urge
to chat with friends or pick up groceries during working
hours.
2.
Your friends may consider “working from home”
an invitation to chat during the day or just go out
for coffee or shopping for an afternoon. Make it
clear that your business hours are just that –
for business. Leave personal calls for after-hours,
and you’ll find that your friends will gradually
accept your schedule without feeling slighted.
3.
Just because you have to set up a work schedule, doesn’t
mean that you have to keep the same hours as everyone
else. One of the benefits of working for yourself is
setting your own Hours to fit your most productive
times. Whether you’re an early bird or a night
owl, you’ll find that you’ll get much more
done when you’re attuned to your body’s own
natural rhythms. Some people work in the morning, take
a break in the afternoon when the kids are home from
school, and work again in the evening. Schedule your
work time when you feel the most productive and you’ll
find that things get done easier, faster and better
than when you were dragging along during those same
rigid work hours that everyone else has.
4.
If getting after-hours business calls or work day personal
calls is a problem, it helps to have a separate business
phone line, or at least an answering machine or voice
mail, to take the incoming calls. This also gives
your business a more professional appearance to clients
than if you and your family make and receive calls from
the same phone line.
5.
If at all possible, try to separate your “home
office” from the rest of your home. If you
don’t have the luxury of a separate room, a room
partition or screen can be just as helpful. This also
serves as a visual cue to family that you’re working
and shouldn’t be bothered.
6.
Dress and act professionally while working. Some
people find it helpful to dress in casual business attire
during their working hours. This reinforces that just
because you’re working from home doesn’t make
you any less of a professional. Answer the phone with
your name, or business name, and keep your children
off the phone during business hours. Also, spend money
investing in the tools you need to do your job right.
A cell phone, fax machine or even a budget computer
can help turn your home office into a true workspace.
If
you follow all of these tips and stick with them, chances
are you’ll find a routine that not only makes you
feel productive and active in your business, but also
projects the message that you mean business – literally!
1howto.com
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