Tips for Working At Home

Women are often torn between the need to be home and the need to contribute to the family financially. Not everyone is cut out or inclined to have their own business though it may offer more flexibility. A great alternative is to work from home.

Telecommuting is a great way to address both needs. For moms, this can be a real lifesaver. You are around all day so you can keep track of the things at home. You have work - of the nature you like - that allows you to earn and to the family coffers without any transportation costs.

Now raises the other head of the hydra. Your family appreciates the fact that you are now more accessible than ever. Since you are home, they tend to think they can ask you various stuff at anytime. You are trying to manage the household needs - cooking, cleaning, etc - and still get your job done. End of the day, you feel wrung out, dizzy and you wonder why you ever thought it was a good idea.

Here are some things I found helpful when starting out:

1. Discuss your decision to work from home with your family. Talk to them about your chosen work and what it's about. The more they know, the better they understand the situation.
2. Set your hours around your needs. Most work from home businesses ask you what hours you are available. Choose the ones that makes sense given all your tasks. This is good for both your family and your employer/clients.
3. Make sure to give yourself time off. What good is it to be home if you are too busy to spend time with your family still - even when they are standing right beside you?
4. Treat your working hours as working hours. This means that during those hours your mind should be on the job and not on the laundry. Let your family know the hours you work so they are aware that those hours are just like if you worked in an office in another part of the city. 
5. Comfort is good but working on one's bed can also be very conducive to falling asleep. It can also be bad for the back. It is best to find a spot for your home office and get it set up properly.
6. If there is space, set up your home office somewhere that has a door you can close. This may sound funny to some but try working in your living room and see how much you get done. Often various people come up and ask questions or talk to you not realizing you are working. The very act of being in the office - whether the door is open or closed - establishes that it is time to work. Most people will knock if they need you or just come back. 

Cup of Tea

I woke up and found that an important tool I use for work had stopped functioning. BUMMER! Just when I had 4 items on a deadline, I couldn't work. It's also one of those times were free online tools or software just wouldn't do.

So there I sat...sweating...praying that my boss would understand and allow the deadlines to get pushed back. I suddenly found myself in my kitchen making a pot of tea. Perhaps it was the need to do something-anything-with my hands other than fidget. Perhaps it was the lure of my first ever tea set. Of course it could simply be a need for a soothing cup of jasmine tea.

Tea is considered medicinal by some or just another source of caffeine by others. Some countries, such as Japan, even have tea ceremonies or rituals. Of course, tea isn't worshiped - that would just be silly. But tea is definitely a companion when chatting with friends - an alternative to coffee and definitely a healthier one than soda or liquor. There are so many kinds and brands of tea, it can be bewildering.

I learned to drink tea at home. My father would bring out this tin of black tea or Jasmine Tea or gold tea. Out would come one of the beautiful tea sets of my mom and we would get to drink tea. I felt very grown up drinking from the delicate porcelain cup. Tea brings many fond memories of home. Perhaps this is why I am so happy to have my own tea set, at last, and sharing that love of  tea with my kids.

Tea is best when hot so..off to savor my tea.

BS'D

Someone sent me an email that started with this:

Now I had no idea what that mean so I looked it up:

I am choosing to believe the sender meant the latter but there is a big difference folks between an apostrophe and quotation marks.