Rich Bitch Financial Success for Women Articles

Balancing Family and Business

Q: What do fledgling businesses and fledgling people (some call them kids) have in common? A: They both demand all of your attention! Yes, juggling business and family is one of the web-based business owner's biggest challenges. Since most work out of home offices learning to separate business and family is a real skill-and one that is necessary to have. How do you handle both of these equally important things with minimal frustration? By being organized, and setting some ground rules.

- Set up times when you are not to be disturbed. It may mean closing your door and putting up a threatening sign, but let your family know that certain times of the day must be reserved for work without interruption. Now, obviously your two-year-old is not going to understand that. His need of a refill of his sippy cup is going to make your need to work seem paltry in comparison. Parents have two options-childcare, or working at night when the kids are in bed and the spouse can take over. Whatever you decide, the most important thing is to set aside time for family, and time for work. If you try to do both at once everyone-you and your family members-are going to get frustrated fairly quickly. Give your full attention to family during family times; give your full attention to work during work times. And hopefully the twain shall never meet!

- But they will, of course. Family life and work life are destined to collide at least once in a while, no matter how well you plan things out. It's inevitable! Be prepared for these eventualities and have a game plan in mind. For instance, if you spend a lot of time on the phone with clients, have a phrase handy that will allow you to gracefully exit the conversation without your client knowing your office is an old utility closet off the kitchen, and your work attire is sweatpants and bunny slippers. For example, an eloquent, "Excuse me, but I'm receiving a long-distance call from another client I must take. May I call you back?" could really mean, "The kids are screaming, the dog just threw up, and dinner's on fire." Just make sure your client doesn't know it.

- Set some limits with friends, too. People who work outside the home think people who work out of their homes have all the time in the world, when the reality is they have less time! Make sure you set friends straight right away! Tell them that work time is work time, and that no, you can't play tennis/pick up their sick kids from school/take their dog for a walk.

Balancing work and family is quite the juggling act, but you can do it! Being organized and setting some ground rules with family and friends will help you accomplish all you need to with minimal frustration.