Balancing work, family and home
For many people starting their own business, the flexibility to set their own schedule and make their own decisions are often the most compelling reasons for becoming self-employed. A Business Link for London survey published in February 2006 shows that women are more likely than men to cite this as a key benefit. This is often because, whatever their working situation, women are still more likely to take most of the organisational responsibility for managing the home, the children and any other dependants.
So, if you’re a self-employed woman with a new business to manage and a family to take care of, and it seems that you’re living in a constant state of near-chaos, try these practical steps to help manage the collision of your two worlds:
Planning your time
You do it all the time but make sure it’s effective. Keep ONE diary only, that way your family and work commitments are all in one place and you won't double book yourself. Instead of keeping a mountain of paper notes (we’ve all done it!) an electronic organiser that synchronises with your PC so you can set it to remind you about business meetings or domestic appointments is a must.
Managing child or other dependant care
Arrange reliable care for your children or other dependants as soon as you know you’ve got a meeting to get to. Knowing your home commitments are taken care of will mean you can fully concentrate on your work. If you’re some distance away from home try also to make sure you have local emergency cover for when things inevitably over-run or there are travel problems preventing you from getting home at the arranged time.
Make the most of flexible working
If flexibility was one of your key benefits of becoming self-employed make sure you allow yourself the luxury of using this flexibility. This may be on a regular basis by, say, only working during school hours, or you may work a longer day but take time out to attend special school performances or other social events, or to attend health clinic appointments for example. Above all, don’t feel guilty when you do take some time away from your business: to stay fresh and enthusiastic you need some time away now and again to focus on something different.
Keep your worlds apart: don't mix home and business
Try to avoid bringing work issues home, but do use a partner or friend whose opinion you trust to bounce ideas off. It can be lonely working on your own and you can sometimes miss the obvious simply by not having someone to run through ideas and different scenarios with.
If you work from home you should, wherever possible, use a separate area for work – not only does this minimise the risk of interruption, it also allows you to switch-off when you have finished work for the day.
Balancing work, family and home
For many people starting their own business, the flexibility to set their own schedule and make their own decisions are often the most compelling reasons for becoming self-employed. A Business Link for London survey published in February 2006 shows that women are more likely than men to cite this as a key benefit. This is often because, whatever their working situation, women are still more likely to take most of the organisational responsibility for managing the home, the children and any other dependants.
So, if you’re a self-employed woman with a new business to manage and a family to take care of, and it seems that you’re living in a constant state of near-chaos, try these practical steps to help manage the collision of your two worlds:
Planning your time
You do it all the time but make sure it’s effective. Keep ONE diary only, that way your family and work commitments are all in one place and you won't double book yourself. Instead of keeping a mountain of paper notes (we’ve all done it!) an electronic organiser that synchronises with your PC so you can set it to remind you about business meetings or domestic appointments is a must.
Managing child or other dependant care
Arrange reliable care for your children or other dependants as soon as you know you’ve got a meeting to get to. Knowing your home commitments are taken care of will mean you can fully concentrate on your work. If you’re some distance away from home try also to make sure you have local emergency cover for when things inevitably over-run or there are travel problems preventing you from getting home at the arranged time.
Make the most of flexible working
If flexibility was one of your key benefits of becoming self-employed make sure you allow yourself the luxury of using this flexibility. This may be on a regular basis by, say, only working during school hours, or you may work a longer day but take time out to attend special school performances or other social events, or to attend health clinic appointments for example. Above all, don’t feel guilty when you do take some time away from your business: to stay fresh and enthusiastic you need some time away now and again to focus on something different.
Keep your worlds apart: don't mix home and business
Try to avoid bringing work issues home, but do use a partner or friend whose opinion you trust to bounce ideas off. It can be lonely working on your own and you can sometimes miss the obvious simply by not having someone to run through ideas and different scenarios with.
If you work from home you should, wherever possible, use a separate area for work – not only does this minimise the risk of interruption, it also allows you to switch-off when you have finished work for the day.