Five Tips For Working From Your Home
by: James W. Brown
Five Tips For Working Full Time From Your Home.
1. Start part-time. Unless you've won the lottery, it's not likely that your savings account is chock full of cash. You need to have some money to fall back on, if whatever you've chosen as a home business, takes a turn for the worst. Keep your day job and bank whatever you earn from the part-time gig. Have at least six months of salary sitting in your saving account.
2. Try out your home business part time and keep a journal. What do you like and or dislike about being self employed. If after a few months you have a huge list of dislikes, then being self employed is not for you. It's not all a bed of roses as some people love to tell you. Starting out can be daunting, if you haven't done your homework.
3. Also in your journal, keep notes about how you are feeling while in your home office, which of course should be a separate room in your apt or house. If you have kids, you need some quiet time and space to work. Ask yourself if you feel happy working away at your desk or do you really long to be out at the dance club or mall? Some people are not cut out to be alone and working for periods of time by themselves. You may find that you just need a 20-30 minute coffee break at the local Starbucks, with a buddy or two. I have friends who are full time self-employed and if they didn't get out to the gym or the Starbucks for a little conversation, they would go insane. Me,I am totally fine at home and if need be, I'll run out and get a coffee, fresh air and then get back at it.
4. Make a plan. What are you going to do about health care, banking and work schedule. You need to get this all down on paper and in a form you can follow. What are your planned hours for working on your biz, doing your bookkeeping and running your household? I have scheduled times for these activities, including 10 minute stretch, pee and breathing exercise times every hour. This includes filling my coffee cup.
5. Is your family on board? By family, I mean in most cases, your spouse or significant other. For some of you, it may include parents, if you are lucky enough to have parents who have any interest in what you do. My parents never knew who was visiting me in my basement bedroom and communicated by stomping on the floor when they wanted my attention. I am sure that most of you have parents who will concerned about your idea of being a freelancer of sorts-whether you still live with them or not. Married? You better make sure the spouse is in complete agreement and it helps if your spouse is like mine. She boots my butt back down to my home office and tells me to make more money. Shoes cost a few bucks you know.
