Business Opportunities Weblog

December 26, 2007 by Rich Whittle | 3 Comments

Wall Street Journal:

Renee O’Brien of Pottstown, Pa., was excited to work from home when she became an independent distributor for a women’s slumber-party hosting company in 2005.

But the transition wasn’t as easy as she expected: Friends would call while she was working, assuming she had ample time to chat. And she’d find herself trying to squeeze in household chores like washing dishes during her work hours.

To keep herself in check, she now carefully schedules her work time using Microsoft Outlook’s calendar feature, and keeps an egg timer next to her desk to limit time spent on tasks like phone calls and checking email to 15 or 30 minutes.

“The timer startles me enough to say, ‘OK, enough time on that,’ ” the 43-year-old Ms. O’Brien says.

Running a business from home isn’t always as liberating as it sounds. With all the distractions of home, like young kids, errands and dirty dishes, competing for attention, many home-based entrepreneurs find managing their time and concentrating on work particularly daunting.

But business coaches say there are ways that entrepreneurs can make working from home a more successful experience. Here are some suggested solutions.

1. Have a Detailed Plan

2. Broadcast Your Plan

3. Find Your Own Space

4. Outsource Duties

Read more.

Photo by MSDesigns.

In Uncategorized | 3 Comments
Tags: Home, Office, Strategy