Everyone who has ever worked from home knows that there is one essential component without which it is almost impossible to be a success: discipline. Often mothers who work from home find it hard to concentrate on the task at hand, get easily distracted, and then stay up late trying to get the work done on time. The result? Her work is not up to par or it is not as good as it could have been, she hasnt had enough sleep, she feels listless the next day, and this leads to another day of poor-quality work and a general break in her routine. One of the best parts about working from an office outside the home is that reaching office on a certain time and returning home at a certain time gives you a routine and forces you to be disciplined. However this does not hold true when you are working from home and when you know that your work hours are flexible. Some people tend to finish off all their other non-business related work first, and leave their work for when they are free and have nothing else to do. Needless to say, their business is not going to last long! The most common problem faced by women working from home is the access to distractions. Some homes have a constant inflow of visitors through the day. Either it is the milkman or the next-door neighbour with the latest gossip doing the rounds in the building. It is imperative to set work hours between which you will not allow yourself to be distracted. Tell friends not to come calling between these hours, as you will be unavailable. If you are working from home, you will need to hire a maid to look after the household errands and your children, if any. In this manner you will be assured that your children are in good hands, and that they just on the other side of the door. Let your children know that you are working, and that you are not to be disturbed unless there is an urgency. Most children or mothers dont take this rule seriously; children are constantly running into moms office, and mothers are constantly taking time off from their work to be with their children. Remember that it is great to be able to work from home, and there is no need to feel guilty for not being with your children the entire day. The very fact that you are so close to your children is something to be thankful for. You dont want to turn in shoddy work and ruin your opportunity of running a good business from home. You can spend time with your children during lunch, and, if work permits, a few times in between. Just make sure that they dont have complete access to you throughout the day, because not only will your work get half-hearted attention, but so will your children. Instead if you set aside timings for your children and your work you will be able to give both tasks your undivided attention at separate times - with the result that you will be a better mother, and a better businesswoman!
Everyone who has ever worked from home knows that there is one essential component without which it is almost impossible to be a success: discipline. Often mothers who work from home find it hard to concentrate on the task at hand, get easily distracted, and then stay up late trying to get the work done on time. The result? Her work is not up to par or it is not as good as it could have been, she hasn't had enough sleep, she feels listless the next day, and this leads to another day of poor-quality work and a general break in her routine.
One of the best parts about working from an office outside the home is that reaching office on a certain time and returning home at a certain time gives you a routine and forces you to be disciplined. However this does not hold true when you are working from home and when you know that your work hours are flexible. Some people tend to finish off all their other non-business related work first, and leave their work for when they are free and have nothing else to do. Needless to say, their business is not going to last long!
The most common problem faced by women working from home is the access to distractions. Some homes have a constant inflow of visitors through the day. Either it is the milkman or the next-door neighbour with the latest gossip doing the rounds in the building.
It is imperative to set work hours between which you will not allow yourself to be distracted. Tell friends not to come calling between these hours, as you will be unavailable.
If you are working from home, you will need to hire a maid to look after the household errands and your children, if any. In this manner you will be assured that your children are in good hands, and that they just on the other side of the door.
Let your children know that you are working, and that you are not to be disturbed unless there is an urgency. Most children or mothers don't take this rule seriously; children are constantly running into mom's 'office', and mothers are constantly taking time off from their work to be with their children.
Remember that it is great to be able to work from home, and there is no need to feel guilty for not being with your children the entire day. The very fact that you are so close to your children is something to be thankful for. You don't want to turn in shoddy work and ruin your opportunity of running a good business from home.
You can spend time with your children during lunch, and, if work permits, a few times in between. Just make sure that they don't have complete access to you throughout the day, because not only will your work get half-hearted attention, but so will your children. Instead if you set aside timings for your children and your work you will be able to give both tasks your undivided attention at separate times - with the result that you will be a better mother, and a better businesswoman!
