Don't Become A Slave To Your Home Business

Although the expressed reasons for wanting to work from home are nmany and varied, most home based business owners cite the ability nto set their own hours as a major factor in their decision to nwork at home. However, many people that have work at home nbusinesses often fall into a trap that flies directly in the face nof their stated desire for time flexibility.

The strong growth in home based business activity continues and, naccording to the Small Business Administration's Office of
Advocacy, fifty-two percent of ALL small businesses are nhome-based.

Some home based business owners have been known to become
"workaholics" because their office is so accessible. Don't nbecome a slave to your business...get out of your home office nregularly to renew and revitalize yourself.

Close the door to your office or otherwise remove yourself from nyour designated "work area" and go into your "home" area to live nyour personal life. If your business involves the use of the ntelephone and you find it difficult to ignore a ringing nphone in the office, simply turn the ringer off and turn the nvolume on the answering machine way down. If your business is ninternet based, just turn off your computer (or at least get away nfrom the monitor and keyboard).

As a work at home business entrepreneur, you certainly aren't nrequired to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week just nbecause your business is located in your home. After all, nyour office or workspace is just an area in your home...it’s not nyour home itself!

Working and living under the same roof has a host of advantages, nbut it can present some challenges (in addition to the workaholic nsyndrome mentioned, above) and stress factors.

Here are four ways to create a less stressful home business nenvironment: nn-Remember why you wanted to become involved with a home-based nbusiness (i.e. more time for family, work schedule flexibility, netc.) nn-Have discussions with your family members and get their input nabout the working arrangements and the amount of time they want nwith you. nn-Use good time management techniques. Keep a list of tasks by norder of importance. There are many low cost and effective "day nplanners" or "organizers" readily available today. nnn-ALWAYS take a little time to "smell the roses".

While not experiencing the negatives common to a corporate office nworking environment, the home-based business owner may noccasionally experience stresses and frustrations that are unique nto working at home.

Networking with other home-based and small business owners nprovides an opportunity to connect with others who may be nexperiencing the same stresses/frustrations that you are. Sharing nstressful and/or frustrating issues with someone else in the same nsituation can relieve your stress and may bring you good advice nfrom a different point of view.

As a final note, remember to observe Home-Based Business Week neach year (it is always the week of October that includes the nsecond Tuesday).