There’s Trouble On The Homefront

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Bigg Challenge
Robin e-mailed us because she recently started a home-based business and she’s having trouble with all the distractions.

Her young children need attention, family and friends call her, the neighbor pops in periodically, and she often ends up working on a personal project instead of her business.

She wants to know how to be more productive amidst all the distractions!

Bigg Advice
Congratulations on your start-up, Robin. And don’t feel alone in your situation – a lot of people have trouble adapting to working at home. Here are 3 thoughts to make working at home work:

1st – Designate a workspace just for your business
Create a space that looks and feels like an office. Having a dedicated space puts you in the right frame of mind. Design it with productivity and comfort in mind because you will be spending a lot of time there. It should be more than the kitchen table or a card table in the guest room.

2nd – Establish a schedule
Determine your work times. Sounds like a job, doesn’t it? You’re not limiting your freedom; you’re ensuring your success!

Consider taking the kids to daycare. Isn’t that what you would do if you worked in an office?

You may be trying to keep all of your costs down, during this start-up phase. But you’ll never get out of the start-up phase if you don’t make time for work.

Maybe you decided to work at home so you could spend more time with your kids. Then dedicate a couple of hours during the day to work. Perhaps while the kids take their naps. Then really hunker down after they go to bed for the evening.

Your schedule doesn’t have to be 9 to 5. You can custom design it!  Just stick to it once you’ve established it.

3rd – Communicate the boundaries.
With the adults in your life, this SHOULD be easier. Let them know that you value your time with them, but you need time to build your business. Consider setting regular times for coffee or lunch. Wouldn’t it be nice to get away now and then?

Let them know when you won’t be available – just like if you had a job working in an office! If they call during your work hours, let it go to voice mail. Check to make sure it’s not an emergency; then get back to work. And just because there’s a knock on the door doesn’t mean you have to answer it – unless it’s Publishers Clearing House!

With your kids, it may be trickier. If they’re really young, they won’t understand. Try this – plan some play time with them early in the day. Explain that you have things to do, but if they’re really good, you’ll do something fun with them later.

Thanks for sharing your bigg challenge with us, Robin. We wish you bigg success!

Do you have some tips for working at home? Leave us a Comment!

Our Bigg Quote today is by Paul J. Meyer:

Working at home works best when you plan your work and work your plan.

Next time, we’ll discuss how to get attention for your message amidst all the clutter. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

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