BALANCING HOME AND BUSINESS
Is Your Home Life Conflicting With Your Home-Based Business? Don't Fret...With a Little Organization, You Can Have It All!
By Paula Demers
Life is hectic, whether you work outside your home...or have a home-based business. When I first started my home business more than 10 years ago, I had six children living at home. I learned quickly, just because my business was run out of my home...it still took too much time.
The whole point of me starting a business in the home was to be with my children. Yet my business was keeping me busy. My children still needed attention. Laundry still needed to get done. My family expected a relatively clean house. And they liked to eat. I quickly had to come up with some type of plan.
I learned that with a little organization, I could do twice the work..both in home and business...in half the time. I am sure there are other people out there who have the same problems, so I wanted to share some of the things I did that made both home and business work.
* I got up in the morning, fed the children and got whoever was in school off to school. Next, I would walk through the house and clean/pick up anything I would want done if someone came over unexpectedly. I almost always threw a load of clothes in the washing machine.* I made lists of what I wanted to accomplish in both house and business. Not long drawn-out plans. I just jotted down things. This was not a one-time thing--it was continuous. As I noticed something that needed doing...in either home or business, I added it to the list. Every morning after I walked through the house, I read the list to see what needed to be done that day.
* I did one "big job" a day, such as cleaning the oven, defrosting the freezer, scrubbing the bathroom, etc.
* I use a P.O. Box, so I checked the mail three days a week, usually Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Those were also the days I'd schedule appointments, do grocery shopping or any other errands I had to run.
* I would decide the day before what we would have for dinner the following day. My crock pot came into use a lot. For example, if I decided to make beans and ham the next day, I would put it in the crock pot when I did my "walk through the house." If I was going to make bread or corn bread, I also did it then, so the mess would be cleaned.
* I learned that many meals can be cooked early and put in the oven to be kept warm. The mess could be dealt with right off, so the mess at dinner time would be minimal. Since my husband is also self-employed, he comes home at various times. Whenever he came home, dinner would be ready.
* Each of my children had chores they were responsible for. Granted, it takes time to teach them, but the end result is wonderful. Chores were switched so they would learn how to do everything. By the time my children were 12, they each were responsible for their own laundry. I also taught them how to cook and we had one night a week where one of them was responsible for the cooking and cleaning of dinner.
* Many times, my children helped me with my business. They could make copies, stuff envelopes, fold and put the address labels on my newsletters, and file. They received the benefits of the money I was making and they could do part of the work.
* I learned with housework--if it doesn't absolutely need to be done, don't do it. For example, vacuuming or dusting every day is unnecessary.
Here are a few ways I've organized my business:
* I have a good filing system. I know where to find what I want when I want it. My computer is also organized so I can quickly find what I want.* On my desk, I have shelves. One is for orders, one is for requests for more information, one is for correspondence, one is for people I want to add to my mailing list and one is for things I want to look at later.
* My "File 13" (trash can) is near my right elbow. As I open mail, if I'm not interested, it goes directly in the trash. That way I don't get piles of useless papers I have to sort through later.
* The days I don't check the mail are the days I write articles, reports and booklets. I also work on what I want to do with my business.
* In answering my mail, I take care of customer orders first, then requests for more information and last, correspondence.
I also take advantage of my answering machine. Just because I run a home-based business doesn't mean that I have to be available 24 hours a day. For example, if we are eating dinner and the phone rings, I let it ring. Family dinners are more important. If we don't have other plans for the evening, I return the call. If we have plans, then I return it the next day.
I have learned that you can train yourself to be automatically organized. If you are organized, then when problems come up (and they will), you can be flexible. If you're organized, then you can take time off. You won't get that far behind. I'm a believer in one thing--I own my business, but it doesn't own me.
Paula Demers has been running a successful home business since 1990. For more of her offers, send $3 to:
Paula Demers P.O. Box 280 Fort Walton Beach, FL 32549
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