Making the Transition to Working at Home – Reality!

First, make sure you have a separate place within your home to run the business. It doesn’t have to be large. It just needs to be a desk (can’t make it today without one), a phone and a little privacy. You are now ready to start your new life.

Second, don’t change your usual schedule. If you are used to getting up at 6:00 am continue to do it. If you put on a suit every day, continue to do it. This is a business not a vacation. Later after adjustment you can work more causally. I know all the so called gurus on the internet say I can work in my underwear. You may get there but don’t start there. It leads to a waste of time in the morning.

Third, at least in the very beginning, make sure family, friends, and everybody else knows you are working. Make like you are not there! After awhile things will loosen up and you can be more available. The nice thing about a home based business is when you need to react to a school phone call, an emergency or whatever, you don’t have to ask someone for time off. You don’t have to make up the hours you missed because you don’t have personal time left.

Fourth, stay focused! If you are having issues with the boundaries set above then staying focused can be even harder. Being at home there are far more distractions then when working outside the home. The doorbell rings, the other phone rings, the dishes are still sitting on the counter, the grass needs to be cut….etc. Nothing interferes with your main objective of building a successful home based business than distractions.

Fifth, make lists. At the end of the day make a list of what needs to be accomplished the next day. In the morning examine this list and revam if needed. Stick to the list. Things will sidetrack you but keep them to a minimum. Make sure you know what you want to accomplish and make adjustments when they don’t happen.

Number six. Schedule lunch with clients, prospects, friends. It can sometimes get lonely in your office. If you are used to social contact at your previous job, keep it going. Don’t go and talk by the water cooler, but have lunch. Sometimes get a cup of coffee with a client and just discuss family.

Finally, you are the boss, the employee, the salesperson, the contact. Enjoy it. It’s your idea and your dream. Remember most of the rest of the world will never have the discipline or the guts to do it. You are special. You are part of the expanding successful home business world. All the hard work will pay off in the end because working at home is very beneficial. Working at home is something that most people would live to do, but that never becomes a reality. When a person gets the chance it is a shame when they blow it because they can not make a smooth transition.