When your are working from home, or perhaps, your home is your business, it’s not always easy to turn off the computer and take time to enjoy yourself. You might thought that this new work from home opportunity was a great idea, but you can easily forget about working hours and you will starting to work to much “in” your business and forget that you should actually work “on” your business. You need to define your working hours.
But it’s not just your time that needs to be clearly defined as belonging to your business as opposed to taking time to relax, other areas, too, need clear definitions.
First, you need separate insurance for your business, even if it is in your home. Your home insurance coverage will not cover anything that is damaged or stolen when it is for your business. Make sure that you have liability coverage as well as equipment coverage for all your supplies, your computer, your stock – anything that relates to your home business – separate from your regular home insurance.
Finances, too, must be clearly defined. You will need to claim certain business expenses and to keep the line between stamps bought for personal use and stamps purchased for your business, make separate purchases for each so that the receipts can be kept separately. Having a business credit card and a bank account that are solely used for your business are essential. It will clear up financial expenditure issues at tax time.
If you use your car for business purposes and don’t have enough money – or business – to purchase a separate vehicle, then you will need to keep a notebook in your car to enumerate business purchases. The miles you drive in the car will help you determine how much of the gas you buy is for business use. These are numbers that will come in handy when you need to figure out your true bottom line. When it comes to your home career, separating business from pleasure is more than just ’should.’ It’s a must.
It may be as much of a challenge working from home as it is working outside of the home but those who have a home career with children underfoot have to be flexible and resourceful.
If you have very young children it may be wise to figure out what part of your work you can do while they are up that doesn’t require your full concentration and do the real intense part of your work when they are asleep.
Children love to mimic their parents. If you have a home office, perhaps you could set your young one up with an office of their own. Maybe you can proofread or go over budget reports while she colors or scribbles. If you work on a computer, chances are she would like to do the same. She might enjoy banging away on an old keyboard so she could have a “computer” too.
It might also be helpful to enlist the aid of a “mommy’s helper”, a pre-teen or teen-ager that could help keep your young one entertained while you are working at home. You wouldn’t have to pay as much as you would if you were gone and most important; you would be there if an emergency occurred.
For any age child, it’s important that they understand your supplies and your work space are your own and not to be trespassed upon. An older child might like it if you give him small responsibilities of his own regarding your home career for which you pay him of course. Children are amazingly helpful when they’re earning money. Besides, it would be a great opportunity to teach a lesson in economics and work ethics.
Regardless of the age of your child or children, imagination and flexibility will go a long way toward a successful home career.
Tags: business and kids, business and pleasure, home base business, home based work, work at home, work at home jobs, work from home, work from home ideas
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