Was it always your dream to work from home? Is your idea of a commute walking from your bedroom to your computer in your home office? Running a business from your home has plenty of advantages, and also comes with some challenges. Accommodating your work schedule to your home life can be frustrating and difficult at times, but the payoff, the extra time not spent on the road, the freedom to work your own hours, the idea that you don’t ever have to miss a Little League game or a dance recital can all make it worthwhile.
Let’s take a specific look at some of the challenges that can face you in running a home-based business, and discuss some fundamental steps you can take to anticipate and overcome any of those issues.
Your first step is to figure out how you’re going to transform a portion of your home into an environment conducive to a day’s work. And that starts by defining some space for your office, the place you place orders, make business calls, pay bills, handle the banking, and so on.
Sometimes it’s easier said than done, but it’s critical that you’re able to seal yourself off or somehow limit interruptions when you’re working. If your desk and computer are in the same room where the family watches TV or your kid practices the drums, you’re gonna have trouble.
Your office doesn’t have to be a separate room, but it does have to offer some form of quiet and solitude. Since everyone’s home is a little different, with different traffic patterns, you need to do what’s best in your case.
If you’re going to be working at home, it has to be taken seriously by everyone in the home. Set rules and expectations within your family, so your work time is respected and therefore efficient. The less interruptions you have, the sooner you can be done, and when you’re done, be DONE! The family has to stick by your rules, and so do you!
Time wasted can never be recaptured, but when disorganization causes you to be inefficient at your home office, it can be tempting to try and make up for it during your “off work” hours. That eats into family time, which creates conflict, and stress for everyone.
The key is to organize: Create action plans, work with a calendar, and keep everyone in the family up-to-speed with your schedule.
If the bills, accounts receivable, and other business paperwork are somewhere visible, you’re tempted to just take a quick look which often turns into hours. Sure, there may be some days where the work to be done overflows the time available, but if this becomes a habit, you can suddenly find that your home-based business is a 24-7 commitment, and that’s NOT why you started it!
If you worked in an office somewhere and you left at 5 PM, and the phone rang when you were gone… you’d only find out about it when you checked your messages in the morning, right? Do the same at home.
Also, designate a specific time to answer your email. Scan the emails, answer the critical ones, (such as orders!) and when your allotted time is up, let the rest wait another day. The same for chat rooms and forums, it’s easy to get caught up in those and suddenly find it’s midnight!
Work is work, and just because your work happens to be at home doesn’t mean you aren’t entitled to some time off. You work for yourself so you can control your time, right? So don’t deprive yourself of time off including a couple weekend days, even if they don’t happen to fall on Saturday and Sunday. Schedule it, and stick to it.
As much as is practical, try to make shop-talk off-limits during non-business hours. This is easier said than done, but the idea is to find stuff other than work to talk about over dinner, or with friends and family.
Having a home business is one thing, sharing that business with your spouse adds a whole other dimension. It can be hugely rewarding to build a business together; it can also cause a lot of pain and strain if you’re not careful.
A few things to consider:
Make sure you both share a passion for having a home business. As we’ve noted, a home business carries its own set of challenges, and you’ll both need to be ready to cope with those together.
Make sure that the type of business you’re going into is interesting to both of you. It’s very hard to maintain the discipline and enthusiasm needed to run a home business if the type of business isn’t interesting to one of you.
Clearly outline each of your respective duties and responsibilities. Break this down to the smallest details, and take the time necessary to be sure everything is understood and agreed upon. Arguments can easily arise from the statement, Hey, I thought that was YOUR job!
Hey, we all know our kids cost us a lot of money, right? But believe it or not, according to moneycentral.msn.com, your children can actually play an important role in decreasing your income tax bill! In a nutshell, the idea is that you hire your kids to work in your business, and then deduct the wages from the business income, shifting it over to your children, who are, in all likelihood, in a much lower tax bracket.
Article author Jeff Schnepper notes that the keys to this strategy are: Your business is not incorporated. Your children work for you, in your business, and you pay them reasonable wages. You follow all the state’s labor laws. You keep meticulous records, ideally by logging the hours your child works. And, you take care of any tax paperwork that may need to be done, like filing a W-2.
Have you heard of ergonomics? Basically, the term refers to the physical interaction between your body and your workspace. You can set your home office up in a way that helps safeguard against typical office maladies: sore back, tingling fingers, stiff necks, headaches.
Using that extra kitchen chair may be the cheap way to go, but it may not be the best choice. Experts advise a chair with adjustable height and tilt, 16”-20” off the floor, with good lumbar support. The backrest should be wide enough to support your shoulders, and the front of the seat should be curved and allow 1-4 inches of space between the edge of the chair and your knees. 5 wheels is recommended, and adjustable, padded armrests.
The most important thing about a desk is to make sure it gives you plenty of room for your monitor, keyboard, phone, other supplies or equipment, and some writing room.
See that the mouse is never in a position where you feel like you’re reaching for it. Ideally, you can use the mouse with your arm supported by the chair arm. Experts recommend a keyboard height of 28-30” off the floor, to avoid slumping or reaching. It is also recommended that a wrist pad in front of the keyboard.
Position your monitor so you minimize glare, and so it’s slightly below eye level. Clean the screen regularly, and always center the monitor in front of you, don’t get yourself in a twisted position.
Position your monitor so you minimize glare, and so it’s slightly below eye level. Clean the screen regularly, and always center the monitor in front of you, don’t get yourself in a twisted position. When it comes to lighting, the key is to reduce or eliminate as much glare as you can. Stay away from glossy white furniture if possible, and use a low wattage bulb directed at the work, not your eyes.
It’s inevitable that occasionally the business takes over the house, or vice versa. It’s never going to be a perfect division. But the more you’re able to physically establish boundaries, limits, and expectations, the easier it will be on you and your family… and when you’re done with a hard day’s work at home, you’ll be ready… to go home.
This intel first appeared on: http://www.brandonsretail.com/CustomHTM.asp?custfile=Home.htm
