Establishing rules for a home office is
a necessary part of working from home. While working from home gives you more
flexibility with your schedule, running a home business generally requires
more self-discipline than you would need if you worked in an office. Set
some basic ground rules so that you can focus on the task at hand: growing
your business.
- Make it clear that when you are in your office, you are not to be disturbed.
You are running a business, after all, and you need to be able to concentrate.
This is not to say that your family must leave you entirely alone! But make
sure they don't hang around chit-chatting, asking questions about dinner, etc..
- Try to stick to a basic schedule. You don't have to work from 9-5; for example,
you could work from 8:00-11:30am (and be ready for the kids when they come home from
school for lunch), then from 1:00-3:00pm (then spend some time with the kids, make
dinner), and again from 9:00-11:00pm (after the kids are in bed). The point is that
you need to set aside time for business - once it's a habit it's much easier to
maintain.
- But if you really need to take a break, just do it. Sometimes we're so tired
that we become ineffective. Or perhaps there's an important event at your child's
school that you want to attend. If there is a good reason to take a break from
your normal routine, then just do it. After all, that's one of the perks of working
from home! Just don't blow off your work on a regular basis.
- Set rules with regards to answering the phone. This is especially
important when your business and personal phone lines are shared. During
business hours, you (or one of your staff) should always answer the
phone professionally and courteously.
- Don't let yourself get distracted by household tasks. Concentrate on your
business tasks and leave your household tasks for later. For example, when you take
a break for lunch, throw in a load of laundry at the same time. Just before you
return to business move the load to the dryer.
- Set rules for accessing your office. Your home office will likely
contain all your business data, equipment, files, etc. You probably don't want
the dog munching up invoices, or the kids making peanut-butter smudges on
your computer screen. Clearly state that your office is not for
playing. If you think it's necessary, place a lock on the door.
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In this section:
Getting Started
Money Matters
Doing Business Online
Your Home Office
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