Everything to do with your shak.
No, I’m not working today! Instead, I wrote this post ahead of time and I’ve scheduled it to pop up today. I thought this was a funny Christmas video featuring pictures of kids who are scared of Santa. Don’t talk to strangers! (And some of these Santas are strange…) Merry Christmas.
Happy Friday!
Today is Christmas Eve, and if you’re like me, you’re operating on a shorter schedule. But the home business rarely gets a day off! So you’re probably hurry to finish a few things up so that you don’t have to do anything tomorrow. I know I am!
Hopefully, you have received the gift of a successful home business this year — or at least one that is on the road to success.
Merry Christmas!
Sometimes we all feel overwhelmed by the amount of work we have to do as home business owners. And, during the holidays, this can be even more challenging. There are family functions to attend, and kids are home from school. And domestic partners might have time off. All of this can combine to create a situation in which you just don’t seem to have a lot of time to accomplish what you’d like. Hell, sometimes it’s difficult to get done what you need to do.
I know. I’m the verge of a breakdown myself. I’d like to go curl up in a fetal position somewhere and just completely lose it for about an hour. But I don’t have the time. Everything is spiraling out of control, and, quite frankly, I’ve been up late a lot with company and I was completely unconscious for two hours longer than usual this morning. Which means that I didn’t enjoy it because I wasn’t aware of the problem until I woke up and saw the clock. At which point I leaped out of bed thinking horrible swear words inside my head.
So I’ve though of some fatal mistakes that I made in the lead up to this week:
* Foolishly agreeing to a long-term freelancing project two weeks ago, even though I knew I’d have company.
* Trying to do everything. I mean, I cleaned the house. I should have just left it.
* Not doing enough extra when I had the time. Poor preparation.
I did a little preparation, but not nearly enough. However, I have started telling people that I am unavailable for anything new until after the new year. Because I just can’t handle it. But I’m thinking that tonight, tomorrow and Wednesday are going to be busy and long.
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One of the hardest things about a home business is that it is, in fact, at home. It’s hard to separate your work from your home life when your work is at your home. However, it is important to make that distinction. You need to establish a quitting time, even if it is something as simple as “I’ll be done in two hours.” Even if you don’t have your quitting time established early enough to get the house cleaned, you should have it established at a point in the day where you still have time to spend with your family.
Establishing a quitting time can be difficult, though. Sometimes you feel as though you just need to get something done. You can help get around this by creating a to-do list that is ordered, with the most important items first. Do the “musts” on your list first thing so that if you aren’t through the list when quitting time rolls around, you can move what’s left to another day.
Maintaining your sanity when you have a home business is very important. And one of the best ways to do that is to take a deep breath and step away from your work at the end of the day.
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This morning, my Internet connection went out for about an hour and a half. Which really put a damper on my workday. I had bills to pay an errand to run, so I did those things while I waited for the outage to end, but what would I have done if I hadn’t had something else to do? What if I really needed to get something done immediately? It helps to have a back-up plan for such situations, so that you are prepared. And I do. My back-up plans include the following:
* Take the laptop to the coffee shop, where there is free wi-fi. I’d have to buy a pastry and a hot chocolate while there, to avoid feeling guilty, but it’s worth it!
* Go to the library to use those computers. Of course, there is an hour time limit, so I’d have to see what I could manage in that time and then go elsewhere.
* Go to my brother’s house. I’d probably take the laptop there, too. My brother has a different Internet provider, and isn’t usually out when mine is.
It’s a good idea to have contingencies in place for when things go wrong. I have a cell phone so that when my phone is out, I can still make phone calls as well. Of course, if something major happens and nothing works, no matter where I am, then we’re all hosed anyway, so getting my stuff done is the least of my worries.
What are your plans for when something goes awry with your Internet connection?
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When you have a home business (or even if you work from home as a telecommuting employee), it is possible to deduct some of the expenses associated with your home office. However, it is important that you are careful when taking advantage of these tax benefits. You have to be sure that the deductions you are taking for home business related expenses only. If your son uses your computer to do homework, it’s not really something you can deduct as a business expense. You can check with a tax professional, or the IRS to make sure you are on the right track.
Here are some of the things that you can included for a deduction when you work from home:
* Internet access
* Telephone line
* Part of your rent or mortgage
* Part of your utilities
* Home office supplies
* Computer
* Health care expenses, including health insurance premiums
* Money paid in for qualified retirement plans
* Trade publications
* Business travel expenses and mileage
* Qualified child care
So you know of other home business tax deductions?
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There is a lot written about how women who work outside the home have a lot of pressure to be “super woman” — keeping house, helping to take care of the kids, and bringing home the bacon. However, not much is said about the plight of the work from home mom. As a WAHM myself, I know it can be a real pain to get everything done. And there’s the added onus from the fact that I am home all day. I’m working for a decent percentage of it, but I’m still here, and many assume that it means I have plenty of time to be the perfect homemaker (if such a person exists).
But the truth is that sometimes the house doesn’t get cleaned. While my son is at school priority #1 is getting work done (well, after I’ve done my morning swim). When my son gets home, my priority is getting him started on homework and piano practice and spending a little quality time with him. When my husband gets home from school, my priority is hanging out with him. And in between I try to start dinner.
This means that sometimes the house doesn’t get cleaned. I try to break it up into days, so I’m not trying to clean everything at once, but sometimes there’s toothpaste in the bathroom sinks, sticky spots on the kitchen floor and dust on the bookshelves. (My husband does the laundry, is in charge of the master bathroom, cooks regularly and occasionally does some vacuuming.) But I generally feel good because I’ve brought in the paycheck, taken care of my boys and done a little something for me. So if the house doesn’t get cleaned, so be it.
It took me some time to get to this point, but the fact of the matter is this: If you try to do everything, all the time, you will be stressed, unhappy, and not very fun to be around for your family. So figure out your priorities and let the less important things slide.
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I read about an interesting study today on LimeLife. Apparently, female breadwinners feel guilt about being away from home:
The interviews showed that most successful working women, with men at home taking care of the family, enjoyed the sense of independence and control they have over their own lives, but they often found themselves up against cultural expectations that they should be at home with the kids.
This is different from many work at home moms, I would think. After all, it is possible to earn money from home, while still fulfilling the expectations of child-rearing. I’m not sure how many work from home moms are the primary breadwinners, however. I am, and sometimes I feel a little guilty because I know that my husband feels bad that I am the primary caregiver for our son and earn the money while he finishes graduate school. (He helps out around the house a lot.) My feelings of guilt come from his feelings of guilt.
It’s an interesting interplay, since we are doing what works for us. But sometimes we get caught up in traditional expectations of how things should be, rather than just being grateful that we are in a position to take care of our family in a way that works for us.
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There are some really funny commercials out there. And, as I watched football yesterday with my husband, his brother and his cousin, we saw this great Sony commercial featuring Justin Timberlake and Peyton Manning. I thoroughly enjoyed it. So, sit back, slow down the Black Friday frenzy, put Dubai out of your mind, and consider life’s simple pleasures.
Happy Friday!
One of the things that many people like about working from home is the fact that it is possible to work in your pajamas. While this is technically true, the reality is that it may not be the best idea. I read a post earlier today on Bargaineering about dressing appropriately for an interview. Well, even if you aren’t interviewing for a more traditional job, it is important to realize that when you work with clients out of your home, your image still matters.
While you may not need to go put on a suit in order to be ready to work from home, it can help to be well-groomed and at least get out of the sweats. This is increasingly true as technology makes it possible to hold meetings using Web cams. You want to be able to project a professional image, whether you are speaking via Web cam, or meeting a local client face-to-face for lunch.
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