Working from home is slowly becoming the trend of the millennium. More women than men seem to be taking it up but numbers are increasing all the time.

Most of us are totally aware of the benefits from working at home but may not have considered some of the risks and what to do about them.

Lack of discipline in time management.

This is something that you likely did not face at the office because you were ‘on the office clock’. Now you’re home, with all the interruptions that go with it. Neighbours come by to chat or to ask favors, or invite you to go shopping. Hard to resist, and you might even be tempted. But, you are at your job, even though it is at home so….

Solution: Set your boundaries both with yourself and with your neighbours. Commit to working specific hours and inform neighbours that you are in fact working and they can contact you when off the home clock.

No separate workspace.

You might think that working from the kitchen table or dining room is a cool idea. However, unless you live alone, there will be others around who will be noisy and distracting.

Solution: Ban everyone from the house, unplug the TV and Stereo, unplug the phone OR….make a dedicated space in your home that is your personal workspace keeping it private and off limits.

Isolation.

When you worked at the office, there were lots of people around and while they may have been a pain in the neck, “you don’t know what you’re missing until it’s gone.” You might start talking out loud to yourself. You might even begin to feel lonely.

Solution: Take breaks during the day as you would if you were at your old job. Call a friend or relative and touch base. Make the time to go to lunch with a friend. That’s something you probably could never have done before. Don’t become a recluse.

Loss of Motivation.

Let’s face it. When you have the boss hanging over your shoulder it’s easy to stay motivated. You really look forward to working alone but then you sit in your chair, staring at your computer wondering what to do next. You lose interest and may feel lost.

Solution: Make a list of all the reasons why you wanted to work from home and review it often. Keep focused on the end results and if necessary, make a to-do list or list of goals and cross them off when completed. Keep your eye on the ball and remember the goal!

Lack of Exercise.

If you work at the computer all day, it is easy to have your rear glued to the office chair. Time gets away from you and before you know it, it’s time to get dinner. Being sedentary isn’t good for the waistline or the rear.

Solution: Make a point of getting out of the chair every hour. Walk around the house, go up and down the stairs a couple of times. Or….join a gym since you make your own schedule. No one says you have to work 9-5. Make sure you schedule some ‘Me time’.

Working from home certainly has its benefits but if you’re not prepared to take a few actions, you may find yourself feeling alone, isolated and even depressed. Take care and make working from home a fun experience. After all, isn’t this why you left the mainstream workforce in the first place?

About the author: Deb Marsden is an experienced Internet training customer support manager.
Deb and her good friend and equally experienced customer support gal, Lee Ann, have joined forces and offer their services to computer newbies and not so newbies, solve issues they may have in learning how to use their computer.Also, for those Internet entrepreneurs who want help with their personal branding…this team has lots to offer.Too much to do and too little time? OutMouseit! and let this dynamic duo work their magic with your personal online branding and more.

If you are an entrepreneur you inevitably find that you your workload is unrelenting.  Typically what most people do is work even longer hours to see if they can break the back of the load.  British entrepreneurs tend to work in excess of the European directive of a 48 hour working week.  If this becomes a habit, it will have a knock on effect; if you regularly work very long hours you will become over tired, over tiredness leads to poor performance, poor performance will start to noticeably affect your enterprise, which can lead to a decrease in sales or traffic to your business.  All these factors also have a negative impact on family life and will lead to stress, illness or both.

The cost of neglecting your well-being and that of your work colleagues can be high. The unexpected absence of just one member of staff can greatly affect productivity and efforts to secure cover can be costly and time-consuming. “It is estimated that absence currently costs over £600 per employee per year in direct costs. For a small business with 30 employees this means an average cost of more than £18,000 per year, which is a significant outgoing,” explains Fiona Robson, human resources expert at Newcastle Business School.

But what is the remedy?  The reality is that if you are a small business or just starting out, your work force is small. That means fewer people to share the load which must be dealt with in order for you to generate much needed business.

I’m sure that by now, you have heard about time management, prioritising your workload, etc. But for some, depending on what field you are in and the size of your company, it still makes little difference in that the volume of work doesn’t decrease and still needs to get done.

So what practical changes can be implemented within your company that will make a tangible difference?

1. Appoint a second in command. Sounds obvious, but many entrepreneurs don’t think about doing this until a few years into their business, long after the wear and tear has started to set in.  In order to have a sound work-life balance in your life, as early on as you possibly can try and have someone or some people working by your side who have the same passion and vision you have for your company.  This will ensure that you can take holidays when you need them secure in the knowledge that your company won’t unravel at the seams.

2. Take stock of all the jobs that are outstanding. Make two piles; one of the work that only you can do, and another pile of the work that can be delegated.  Have someone stand over you with a whip if need be to ensure that you don’t keep pinching things from the delegate pile and putting it back onto yours.  Entrepreneurs have extraordinary difficulty delegating!

3. Of the work that can be delegated, outsource it to interns. This is a great way of the intern getting valuable hands on experience in the field of their choice, it takes a lot of pressure off yourself and your team and ensures that everything keeps ticking over and the ball doesn’t get dropped on anything.   This is a great investment as the intern could end up becoming a permanent member of staff when your business starts taking off.

4. Ensure that you go home early or on time at least once a week. Work hard at making this a habit; your spouse and children will appreciate it!

5. Have a company fun day at least once a month. This is great for team building, wonderful for morale and it’s just great to step out from the high pressured world of entrepreneurship and let your hair down!   You could have a masseuse come to your business and give massages to you and your employees; you could have a hair and beauty expert give your staff a makeover; a lifestyle expert can come and draw up individual plans for you and your staff, have a chef come in and prepare a meal (you can even go along the Jamie Oliver ‘great meals for a fiver’ route!), or simply crack open a few bottles of wine and have a laugh! Be as creative as you like – whatever you do it doesn’t need to be expensive.  Remember, the aim is to relax, unwind and put the ‘life’ into work/life balance.

How have you battled with your never diminishing workload? What worked for you? Add a comment and share your story.

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About the Author: Belinda is a feature writer for Women Unlimited and a freelance copywriter.  Email her if you are are looking for fresh content for your website or blog