Three Keys to Achieving Balance Between Your Home Office

                                  and Your Family Life

 

              By Robert Imbriale

 

              You may think that working from your home is the ultimate freedom. You may get tingles

              down your spine at the mere thought of being able to work in your pajamas, be with your

              children, and never deal with the morning commute again. Yes, working from your home can

              be all of these things and a whole lot more too.

 

              As with many of the people I coach, working from home, however, can be both a relief and a

              headache at the same time. Keeping a balance between your professional home life and your

              personal home life presents many challenges. One in particular that comes up in many of my

              coaching sessions is the unending desire to work every waking moment of everyday,

              including weekends! It's a real challenge having a lot of work just inches away from where

              you are supposed to be enjoying quality time with your family.

 

              So what can you do? How can you make your home business work while keeping your

              personal life intact? There are three areas that I consider paramount to running a successful

              home based business.

 

              First, remember that above all else, your business is your business, and your family is

              your family. Try never to mix the two because that can easily lead to a toxic potion. When

              you are in business mode, be focused on your business. Try to keep your children out of

              your work area at all times. If that means having to hire a babysitter to occupy your children

              while you work, do it.

 

              It's much more important to have a professional appearance to your clients than having a

              the few extra dollars you may save by not hiring a babysitter. Being close to your children

              can be a blessing, but they can also spell disaster as you try to close that key account over

              the phone just as one of them begins to cry or scream uncontrollably right next to you.

 

              If a full time sitter is not an option, consider hiring a part-time sitter. When the sitter is in,

              that's when you make your calls. Work your calling schedule around your babysitter as best

              you can, and make sure you save the most important calls for that quiet time.

 

              The more separation you create between your business mode and your personal life, the

              better. If your home office has a door, close it. Cut off any temptation to go and do the

              dishes, laundry or whatever during your work time. Avoid those frequent mini-raids of the

              refrigerator during work time. These types of distractions will only help keep you in your

              office much longer than necessary.

 

              Second, make sure you have a business telephone line, a separate fax line, and a third

              modem line, if you use the Internet for long periods of time. Your business line should have

              an answering machine, voice-mail system, or an answering service's live operator that

              answers your phone in a professional manner when you are not available. Remember that

              your goal is not to sound like a home office, so the more professional you can sound on the

              telephone, the better.

 

              Third, keep yourself as organized as if your were working in a corporate office.

              Organization prevents contracts and other important documents from getting buried under

              piles of files, newspapers, or even last night's dinner! Just because you work from your

              home doesn't mean you are any less of a professional…. so act like one and treat important

              documents with respect.

 

              As part of keeping organized, do everything you can to keep food and drinks away from

              your desk! Spills cost you many hours of work, and can even cost you thousands of dollars

              if they were to damage any of your delicate electronic equipment. My motto is simple:

              "Food stays in the kitchen, and paperwork stays in the office."

 

              In all cases working from home, use common sense. Your business depends on you being

              organized and keeping your personal and business lives separate, even though they

              co-exist under the same roof. Get in the habit of turning off your computer at a reasonable

              hour and use that time to be with your family, relax and enjoy your life…. Although it may

              be tempting to get right back to work after dinner, remember that your work will be there for

              you in the morning, just as it would if you left it back at the corporate office. HBM

 

              Mr. Imbriale is a nationally recognized business coach specializing in business

              development. He is an accomplished author and copywriter and his work has been

              published nationally in both consumer and trade publications. For a free telephone

              coaching session with Mr. Imbriale, send your name, address and telephone number to

              him at: 203 Commack Road, Suite 135, Commack, NY 11725-3437 or fax it to

              516-754-9205. Mr. Imbriale can be reached at 516-754-9144 or via e-mail at

              roberti@ix.netcom.com. Mr. Imbriale is available for private coaching sessions by

              appointment only. You can also reach him on the Internet's World Wide Web at

              http://www.ambiznet.com.