With holidays around corner, you may find yourself struggling to keep your home-based business and your home life separate and running smoothly. And you're not alone.Operating a home-based business has many benefits as you already know, but its main drawback is that it often causes line between your work and your personal life to become permanently blurred. Unlike those individuals who work outside home and who know their day at office ends when they get in their car and start commute home, home business operators do not usually have a definite end to their day. The reverse situation is also possible: they may not have a definite start to their day either. If you have a hard time breaking free of your work responsibilities or if you sometimes have trouble settling in to tackle them, these tips will help you bring both aspects of your life into equilibrium.
----------------------- Separate Your Office From Your Home -----------------------
If your work computer is in living room where everyone in family congregates, chances are you are being bombarded by distractions. Plus, when it is time for you to relax, you may find it difficult with computer right there as a constant reminder of all work you still need to finish and all of communications you still need to respond to.
The answer is to set aside an area of your home just for work. If you have an office or an extra bedroom where you can set up your space, then you can block out distractions simply by shutting door. Also avoid putting anything in your home office that might prevent you from getting your work done, such as a television.
If you don't have an entire room to dedicate to your office, move your computer and materials into a room that is rarely used or that is normally unoccupied when you need to be working, such as a bedroom. Once you have separated your home from your office, you will find it easier to stay focused on your work but also to leave your work in its space so you can relax and enjoy remainder of your home.
----------------------- Create Specific Working Hours -----------------------
One of best things about running a home-based business is undoubtedly flexible schedule, but it can also have negative consequences. On one hand, your schedule may be so flexible that you only work 30 minutes a day or so hectic that you find yourself working at all hours of day without taking a break. The answer is to set your own office hours. Creating your own schedule still has benefits. For one, you can decide what time of day you start, so if you're not a morning person, you don't have to get up at break of dawn. Also, if you prefer to stop working when your children come home from school, you can consider that when you decide when to stop for day.