Most people who work at home are confronted with an ongoing problem: Their friends and relatives seem to think that they no longer have jobs.
The hard part about working from home is getting everyone else to understand that you’re still working.
Once your neighbors discover that you’re at home during the day, they tend to drop in for coffee or ask if you can watch their children until they get home from work.
Sometimes it can be hard for you to say No when asked for help. Unfortunately this can jeopardize your business, or cause you to have to work long hours at night to make up for the lost time.
When someone approaches you on the premise that, because you don’t have a job, she would appreciate your help, your response should be a very pleasant and friendly, “Oh but I do have a job. As a matter of fact, it is the best job I’ve ever had because it’s my own business. I’m having more fun working and I’m actually going to have more money, and I’ll be helping more people in the process.”
Yes, this might also help you get that person into your business; but even if that doesn’t happen, it will help you to establish that you do have a job. In fact, it’s more than a job; it’s your own business!
You should use this response from the moment you start working from your home. It’s amazing, but the word will most likely spread very quickly that, yes you are working, and that will cut off many requests.
Obviously, if you would leave an office job to help a friend or family member who has an emergency, you would do the same thing now. You are still a loving, concerned, and caring friend or relative. But establishing specific work hours and spending a certain amount of time working every week are essential.
And, of course, on the other side, you should not work all the time either. You will want to still look after the other things in your personal and family life. Work on creating a balance and you’ll do great!
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p.s. Sure, one of the benefits of working from home is being able to spend time with your children. But just because you work from home doesn’t mean your job is any less real than your office counterparts. The key here is to respect your own time and your schedule—because no one else will respect your boundaries if you don’t respect them first.
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