Copyright 2006 Sandra P. Martini

Remember the commercial of the woman in a business suit
top, pajama bottoms and bunny slippers while on a
conference call?  Way back when, I used to think that
symbolized home office life.  Ahhh, the joy of it.

Once I started running my business from home, however,
reality set in very quickly!

*  The days of commuting to and from a workplace with a
defined work schedule are gone.

*  The days of being accountable to a “boss” are gone.

*  The days of doing “home” stuff while at home and “work”
stuff while at work are definitely gone!

In the early days of my business, I would actually feel
guilty if the house was not spotless and I was spending too
much time in the office (justified by “billable hours”).
Or I would feel guilty if the house was clean and the
laundry was done, but I wasn’t making enough money.

It’s enough to drive an entrepreneur insane!

So how do you handle it?  Here are some tips that have
helped insure my sanity over the years:

1. Create a separate workspace that works for, not against,
you.

Whether you’ve taken over a spare bedroom, a corner of the
basement or the dining room table, be sure that you have a
space that is yours just for working (even if it is just
for work between certain hours and for eating at other
times).

In deciding where you want to work, you need to first
determine HOW you work.

Do you prefer a lot of space?  Do you work with piles or
does everything need its own file folder?  Do you prefer a
clear workspace with nothing except your current project or
do you like to have all ongoing projects in sight?

Regardless of your work style, you need an area that works
for you and that is just for work.

2. Beware of shiny objects.

In setting up your office, don’t run out and buy every
gadget known to man.  It’s tempting to get the best of
everything right off the bat – resist the urge!

Get the basics and add things when there is a need.  For my
purposes, the basics are: a good laptop, a multi-line
telephone with speakerphone and mute, a color laser
printer, a scanner and a separate hard fax machine (in
addition to my electronic fax account).  What you need will
depend on how you work with your clients.

3. Limit the chatting.

Once they hear you are working from home, many friends and
family (especially those who are home during the day) will
think nothing of calling or IMing you throughout the
workday and, while you may love to chat or IM with your
friends and family, be sure they know when you are working.
It is too easy to fall into the habit of chatting with
someone and then realizing you’ve spent an hour or more of
your workday and haven’t finished the project or made your
calls.

Save the visiting for after your workday is complete or
when you are taking a break.

4. Know when to say “when”.

Starting and growing a new business is invigorating!  I
love what I do and draw a lot of energy from it.  That
said, be sure you set limits on how long you spend working
each day so as not to drain yourself.

My workday typically starts around 8am and I go until lunch
when I take a break, grab the dogs and go for a walk.  Once
back, I work for a few more hours and then do a final check
of everything in the evening.  This schedule works well for
me.  You need to find one that works for you – if you have
children, your prime workday may be while they are at
school or after they’ve gone to bed.

5. Do what you do best.

Working from home can lead to a sense of isolation and the
feeling that you need to do everything yourself.  You don’t.

Focus on those things that you do best – the reasons why
you chose to go into business for yourself – and outsource
the rest.  A virtual assistant can help you with all those
tasks that you shouldn’t be spending time on.  It is better
for your business to hire someone, say to do the books,
than it is for you to spend X hours trying to figure it out
when you could be marketing your business or working
directly with your clients.

6. Automate, automate, automate.

When possible, set up your systems such that regular tasks
are as automated as possible.  Do you have an evergreen
(i.e., never changing, same for everyone) welcome email
that you send all your new clients?  If so, set up an
autoresponder.

Need to keep track of projects and have updates
automatically sent to clients?  Use an Intranet solution
such as WebOffice.  Need to explain something “in person”
to a potential client?  Use a webinar.

To the extent possible, you want to be working in your home
office, not running around during the work day.  As an
entrepreneur, commuting and waiting cost you money.  Use
technology to your advantage.

7. Get out and visit.

As you work on your marketing plan, get new clients and
generally build your business, it’s easy to forget the
outside world exists.

Be sure you get out of your home office (and your pjs) at
least once a week.  Go anywhere there are people: the gym,
a favorite coffee shop, networking events, out with
friends, etc.  It’s not healthy to become a recluse and
you’ll get far more ideas by mixing with people.

With a little planning, you can create a home office
environment that suits both you and your business.

—————————————————-
Online Business Manager & Entrepreneur, Sandra Martini,
coaches small business owners to more efficiently manage
their businesses while increasing profits and having fun.
Sandra’s coaching programs are available via
teleconferencing, emails and telephone calls.  Want to grow
your business?  Sign up for the FREE e-course “How to Write
a Dynamic Marketing Plan” by sending a blank email to
smartini-187175@autocontactor.com today.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 19th, 2006 at 9:45 am and is filed under Business, Business Thinking, Entrepreneur, Time Management. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.