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Home Based Business vs. Family Time
by Ron LeBlanc
Ironically, most of us got into the home based business world because we wanted
to have more time with family. So how is it that we sometimes have less time?
Let’s take a look and see what can be done about it.
The promise of having more time with family is one of the major attractions
for a home based business, but time has to be carefully managed and guarded.
If you are in a regular job working at least 40 hours per week, it can be tough.
One thing that must be communicated to your family is that there has to be a
short term pain for a long term gain.
 You
have a finite amount of hours available to you, but here are some suggestions.
If you have children at home and it becomes chaos as soon as you get home, then
one possible strategy is to stay at work an extra hour later. You can return
quite a few phone calls in an hour and it would probably be uninterrupted. A
home based business can have a remote office!
Another strategy is to take mass transit if you normally drive. It may allow
you an extra 30-60 minutes per day to organize contacts, return phone calls,
or listen to training materials with your mp3 player. If your company has training
or motivational phone calls that are at a bad time for you, it is possible to
record them (check with local laws on it).
I have recorded many calls to a $39 digital voice recorder with a $15 connector
that goes from my phone to the recorder (available from Radio Shack). You are
then free to listen to the calls on your time.
I make it a priority to spend time with my kids when they come home from school.
I work from home full time, so I take a break mid-afternoon to see how their
school day was and enjoy a snack together. I then head back to my home office
until dinner time.
I also have less need for sleep than the rest of my family so I frequently take
an hour or two at night or early morning. This can be extremely productive time
for a home based business, but unfortunately does not usually allow you to return
phone calls. I used my lunch time at my old workplace for that using a cell
phone – my investment in the large minute plan was worth it.
The exact solution for you has to be determined by you for your particular home
based business. However, my advice is to plan ahead and block out the family
time. Make sure you clearly communicate with all family members about what time
you are blocking out for your business activity. As long as you communicate
well, you should be able to spend anxiety-free time on your business.
With some good planning, you can be successful in being good to your family
and your home based business.
About the author:
Ron LeBlanc, PE spent 20+ years in science and engineering
when woke up to his true potential and began working from home. He lives in
Boulder, CO and works out of his home. He enjoys helping other people learn
to do home based businesses. Get his tip-filled newsletter and some special
offers at http://www.be-do-have.com
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Disclaimer: The information
presented and opinions expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily
represent the views of PartyPlans.com.au and/or its partners.
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