In order to work from home effectively, you will need to establish some limits or rules which you, your family and friends can live with. You and only you can decide what it takes for the perfect balance. When those balance scales tip in either direction, you are going to be facing problems you might not have been prepared to deal with. Here are some tips for helping to keep the balance in your business and your home.

Work Schedule

Being self employed gives us the opportunity to work flexible hours and set our own hours, however you must also remain disciplined enough to spend the time necessary to make your business go. You can't expect to just set up shop and then walk away from it. Any new business requires 2 to 4 years of hard work before you can begin enjoying the benefits of being a business owner. On the other hand, you can't work constantly and not expect your family to end up resenting you for it.

- Set up a schedule for yourself that will not be too stressful. If you don't follow a set schedule, you could be adding additional stress to your life instead of avoiding it by working for yourself. Be sure to allow yourself time for family, exercise, play and business. You'll find that by using an appointment calendar, you can easily plan for activities without cutting any area short.

- Working from home allows you to work late into the evening. This could cause work "burnout", so be sure to make up a realistic schedule and stick to it. Symptoms of burnout include lack of energy, unhappiness with your business, poor job performance, isolation, negativity and increased illness. Take time for yourself as well as your business.

Housework

Keeping your home in order when you have a home office can be difficult. If you're a tidy person, you probably won't be able to just walk past those dirty dishes in the sink or that pile of laundry screaming your name during your work hours. Resisting the urge to clean up is a "learned response". It sometimes takes practice to be able to step over the toys lying in the hallway instead of picking them up and putting them in the kids' rooms. If you can't learn to do this, you will probably have a difficult time concentrating on your business because housework never gets done and stays that way.

This would be a good time to get your kids involved in the household chores. Try using a weekly Chore Chart. On the left side of our chore chart, write a list of things that the kids can handle doing on their own; cleaning their room, feeding the dog, taking out the garbage etc. Provide blank spaces for additional chores the kids do on their own without being asked. Each evening the kids check off which chores they completed and at the end of the week, tally up marks and hand out allowances. Plan on using some of your free time in the evenings or weekends for handling the work that can't or doesn't get done.

Family

When you work out of your home, you need to make special considerations with your family and pets in relation to customers in your home.

- Make certain your children know that your work space is off limits to them. Your office equipment, files and supplies are an important part of your business and should not left lying around the house. If your office is in a separate area of your home, teach your children to knock on the door, especially if your door is closed.

- Be sure to let everyone know your office hours to minimize unexpected drop-ins during your work or personal time. Having a neighbor drop in for coffee while you're servicing a customer or holding an important business meeting looks unprofessional, not to mention it could be embarrassing for you.

- If you have pets in your home, try to keep them out of the area where you are working. Some people have allergies and others simply don't like animals. If you are expecting a client to visit your home office, make sure your dog or cat is kept away from them.

Simple scheduling can make a big difference when you work at home. By finding the perfect balance between work and family, you'll find that you are much more productive in your home business and your family will be a lot easier to get along with.

Kim Haas

You may already know me from my biggest online venture, Womans-Net.com. I started Womans-Net in June of 2000. The site quickly blossomed into a leading resource for women in business and work at home moms.

My latest and fastest growing venture is Article-Host.com, where I have continued my work as an online publisher and writer. Article-Host allows me the opportunity to offer syndicated article services worldwide.

I earned an Associates Degree in Word Processing while raising a family. I am a self-taught webmaster. I began my online experience when the Internet was still a series of BBS's (Bulletin Board Systems) where users logged into each other's desktop computers - and monitors were still green letters on a black screen.

Although I had only limited formal education in business management and computer skills, I obtained my business education from the 'real-world school' where lessons weren't graded with A's and B's, but rather with success or failure. After failing at several MLM and 'work at home opportunities', I began seeing a pattern to the failures. Those failures were a direct result of not putting God first in my life and not having confidence in myself.

I currently live in south-central Illinois with my soulmate and our two children. We also share 4 adult children and 5 wonderful grandchildren.

Over the past ten years I've learned a lot about building businesses from the ground up, both online and offline, and I've learned how to deal with different types of customers. I have discovered that a little self-confidence can go a long way and I've found the mysterious "secrets to success".