The financial benefits of working at home – what you earn and save

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Working from home has many financial benefits. It is also true that the benefits are not merely financial. For example, a home business allows you to strike a balance between your career and family. But instead of focusing on the emotional and personal benefits, I want to keep it business related – so I am only going to discuss the financial side of working from home and earning your income online.

1. You make the money

This is what both motivates and scares people that decide that they want to work from home – your income is directly proportional to your performance. If you work for someone on commission, you have a small incentive to work harder and bring in new clients, however if you go to work from 9 to 5 every day and would not make any extra whether you brought in 5 or 25 clients, you might soon lose motivation. Working from home, what you earn is yours. [Read more…]

Going Green in Your Writing Office

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Bring up the topic of green living and people think recycling and light bulbs. These are, of course, important parts of caring for the environment, but they are not the only things each of us can do to save, reduce and reuse resources.

The office presents several opportunities to lessen our personal impact on the world around us.

Paper Control

  1. Cut back on paper use. Writer’s use a lot of paper, including to hand -edit pieces. That’s why it’s important to keep a bin next to the printer to deposit used paper. The paper is can be reused for back-side printing, notes, lists and coloring for the kids.
  2. Invest in recycled paper. Prices are now more reasonable than ever. Keep an eye out for sales at your favorite office supply store and stock up when possible.
  3. Digitize bills, bank statements, invoices, etc. Much of our waste and clutter problems stem from incoming mail that can easily switch to electronic files. Often companies will give consumers a discount for the switch from paper to electronic billing.
  4. Ban pesky receipts. There are several programs that allow you to digitize your receipts – my fave is Shoeboxed.com – eliminating the need to keep bunches of paper. Make sure any app or service you choose uses IRS approved methods.

Product Control

Put your money in green – products and services. There is a huge variety of recycled goods on the market for offices including file folders, organizers, calendars, etc. A little bit of research will go a long way to find products that fit in tight budgets.

Product control also means controlling the amount of energy electronic products consume. A quick way to keep energy usage low – plug all of your electronic devices into a power strip. At night, hit the switch and cut phantom energy use!

Waste Control

  1. Reuse ink cartridges. Instead of tossing a spent cartridge have it refilled. When a cartridge can no longer be refilled, dispose of it properly. Use local cartridge recycling centers and many ‘big box’ stores provide the service, free of charge.
  2. Donate old goods and electronics. Much of the waste in our landfills is electronic waste and things that could be recycled. Both office furniture and electronic goods can be passed onto shelters and thrift stores. Electronics not in good condition can be dropped off at any electronic recycling operation. These centers repair, repurpose and properly dispose of the hazardous parts of our gadgets.
  3. Cut the flushes. If you work from home this item is easier to implement. Save water and resources by following the old adage “If it’s yellow, let it mellow; if it’s brown, flush it down.” It’ll also save loads on your water bill!

It doesn’t take a lot of effort or money to change your office into a green one. It’s almost as easy as putting on a “Kiss Me I’m Irish” pin.

What tips do you have for greening up an office?

Writing From Home

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I’m a work-at-home father of two and a full-time writer. I write for blogs like this one, I write books, and I write whatever print freelance assignments come along in between.

I’m not here to tell you what an unbelievable challenge working at home can be. If you’re reading this blog, I’m sure you already know. Instead, I’m going to share with you some strategies for overcoming the work-at-home obstacles.

In the many years I’ve been doing it, I’ve noticed a phenomenon that’s utterly unique to stay-at-home workers. I call it the ATOOTC Principle. We stay-at-home workers desperately long to be taken as seriously as those who work outside the home. We want to be treated and respected equally. But if you don’t work at the office, on the clock, then all of your family and friends (usually subconsciously) behave as though the work you do isn’t as important. If you work at home, then you’re treated as though the usual strictures of priorities, responsibilities, and deadlines don’t apply to you.

For example, if you’re an ATOOTC worker, your friends and family respect your work time and your office. They leave you be during your work hours, so you can do the job that you’re paid to do. If you’re at home, then no matter how hard you work, friends and family believe they can interrupt you all they want. Since you’re at home… then you can’t be doing real work, right?

Combatting this attitude can be a full time job in and of itself. But as if that’s not enough, the 21st Century is the Age of Distraction. It’s harder than ever before to maintain a singular focus while working at home. Not only do we have people calling on us constantly — both in person and on the phone — we now have the wonders of email and text messages and voice mail and smartphones and Internet outages and so much more to deal with. This problem is compounded when you work at home, with the addition of chores and household maintenance that must be dealt with. There’s always laundry, there’s always dirty dishes, there’s always something around the house that has to be fixed, and invariably these things always come up during your designated work time.

On top of this, not all home workers even have in-home offices to work out of. I used to have an office until the baby came along. Now, the living room is my office, and my end of the couch is my desk. There’s no such thing as privacy or personal work space. I’m surrounded by a three-ring circus at all times. This can be catastrophic for we writers in particular, as it can be awfully difficult to focus or maintain the simplest trains-of-thought when you’re not in an isolated environment.

If any (or all) of this sounds familiar to you, here are my best tips for getting the work done if you’re an at-home writer, regardless of what’s going on around you.

1) Be Rigid. “Flexibility” is a term that gets a lot of love these days. It’s held in high regard along with other pop buzzwords like “tolerance.” But tolerance isn’t always a good thing. Should we be tolerant of hate, for example? Freelance writers, by definition, have to be flexible. Assignments come and go, and you have to be available for whatever opportunities arise. And the modern woman and/or mother especially is expected to be capable of wearing dozens of hats at once — and make it look easy.

When it comes to writing at home, flexibility can be a killer. Being inflexible is of far greater value. Guard your writing time with righteous fervor, determined to let nothing interrupt it. This is, of course, an unrealistic goal; intrusions will always happen. But the more rigid you are with your designated work time, the more work you’ll get done.

2) Remember That “No” Is Not a Bad Word. We all want to be everything to everyone: responsible parents and siblings, good friends who are always there. But if you say “yes” to every lunch date or play date with the kids or what have you, you’ll never get anything written. Sometimes — in fact, a whole lot of the time — you just have to say no. During whatever time of the day you’ve set aside as your work hours, treat it as though you’re in an ATOOTC office with your boss watching your every move.

As for your friends and family, if they’re worth their salt, they’ll understand and respect you for being disciplined with your work responsibilities.

3) Work Odd Hours. This isn’t for everyone, but if you can handle it, working during the hours that others are asleep or not around can be extremely conducive to getting things done. I often find that I can get a lot done late at night when my wife and kids are asleep. Others work early in the morning before everyone else wakes up. It could even be as simple as working during school hours, when the kids are out of the house.

4) Get Out of the House. As important as it is to guard your at-home work time, sometimes you just have to get away from all the around-the-house distractions in order to get anything done. So grab the laptop and head out to someplace where there’s free wifi, like Barnes & Noble or Starbucks. Find yourself a small table or a quiet corner, and get busy. I’ve often found that being around other people — but not interacting with them — can be particularly helpful when I’m writing fiction. Something about being able to observe people going about their lives, hearing the way they talk… it can help trigger those instincts for writing strong prose.

These are the strategies I’ve found that work best for me. What works for you?

Separation, Integration and Working as a Freelance Writer: My Peas are Touching My Meat (and it’s Good)

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In Search of Separation…

Being a freelancer guarantees weirdness.  Unpredictability is the only constant and the bizarre twists and turns of everyday life constantly squash efforts to create that ideal professional/personal balance.

How in the hell are you supposed to balance your work with the rest of your life?

Sure, writing copy so beautiful it brings tears to your eyes is mega-fun/rewarding, but so is making homemade spaghetti sauce, catching an afternoon ballgame on getaway day, dancing to the Godfather of Soul with your kid, making out with your spouse and, to a lesser extent, keeping your house somewhat tidy.

What’s the big secret to separating the wild yet wonderful world of freelancing for a living from the rest of your life?

If you want suggestions, they’re easy to find.  Drawing the work/life line is constantly buzzing topic.  You can find freelancers who’ll suggest setting regular hours, dressing as if you’re actually heading off to a day at the office, putting up signs to keep your family away while you work and a million other things.

You’ll hear lectures about time management, recommendations about working smarter instead of working harder and pleas to turn off your phone, computer and everything else even remotely related to your profession during the weekend.

My Failure to Divide…

Some of that stuff probably works for some people.  It hasn’t worked for me.  Not even close.  This is my experience:

The need to run to Price Chopper for diapers can shred a well-planned schedule.  A weekend free of work sounds ideal until you chop off the tip of your index finger with your favorite Wusthoff on Wednesday (just try writing anything other than “ewoek/lifer supaeratioij u s so dalmn haard” at three a.m. with a bandage on your hand).

The idea of dressing for traditional success makes me a wee bit queasy and all of the smart work in the world can’t solve for an overflowing toilet plugged with a small stuffed giraffe and three plastic Strawberry Shortcake figurines.

If you can tidily separate your work from the rest of your life and that’s what you want to do, congratulations.

I’ve given up.  Completely and intentionally.

Integration vs. Separation…

I realized that I don’t really want a separation between the professional and the personal.  I don’t want regular hours, a regimented schedule or a sign on the door of my basement office.

Screw separation.  I want integration.

I love working for myself for a number of reasons, but the biggest weight on the scale is freedom.  I spent a long time being a damn good employee who secretly hated being on the payroll because I didn’t have that freedom to do what I wanted to do how and when I wanted to do it.

The joy of freelancing isn’t just the money or the satisfaction of those occasional moments of copy perfection.  For me, it’s the fact that I can do things on my terms.

After wrestling with time and experiencing a never-ending series of scheduling snafus, I realized something.  I don’t wear suits for a reason.

Weddings, Russians and Realization…

Let me explain that last part about suits.  A few weeks ago, we were up in Iowa for a wedding.  I decided to dress appropriately.  I was standing in front of the mirror, wearing a suit and marveling at just how freaking weird I looked.  My wife says I look snazzy in a suit.  Maybe she means it.  Maybe she’s just being nice.  All I know is that I think I look like someone else.  I hate the damn things.  I have broad enough shoulders without the jacket’s enhancement.  Neckties are too silly (and phallic) for my tastes.  I generally dislike shoes and hold particular animosity toward dress shoes.  I dislike them on an almost visceral level.  They conjure up feelings of conformity, caste and rigidity.

Unless I’m at a wedding, a funeral or taking the stand in my own defense, I really don’t want to wear a suit.  I don’t like them.

Then a question occurred to me.

Why would someone who hates suits make an effort to run his business as if he’s wearing one?

In what turned out to be a happy coincidence, my websites and email accounts were serving as a playground for a few Russian hackers while I was standing in front of the mirror.  When I returned home and surveyed the damage, I decided to burn things to the ground instead of repairing them and to start anew.

Authenticity and a Liberating Integration Casserole…

On a superficial level, this switch freed me to blog about things like the death of Jose Lima, my status as a victim of Exploding Head Syndrome and Kalae All Day–things I usually would’ve avoided because they didn’t match “The Brand”.  It allowed me to tweet about the lapse in sanity exhibited by Royals third base coach Eddie Rodriguez last weekend and to dial back the formality of my client communication.

We talk the authenticity talk more than we walk the walk, I think.  At least I did.  Not any more.  I’m retiring from thinking about being authentic.  I’m just doing it.

That has included embracing my inability to maintain traditional, set hours and all of the other stuff that usually goes along with separating work from the rest of one’s life.

I’m not separating anything anymore.  It’s all just one big crazy, gorgeous, wacky, depraved, enlightened, messy, tasty casserole.  Yum.

It’s been a liberating experience.  I’m bobbing between work and parenting.  I’m weaving between being a husband and making a living.  I’m cool with a two-hour client call on a Sunday and I’m just as happy to tell someone that I’m too busy buying diapers and freezer pops to take a call on a Wednesday afternoon.

Interestingly, this new outlook isn’t creating waves with clients.  It’s allowing us to float closer to one another.  It’s breaking down barriers and encouraging more human connections.  It’s as if we’re all actually having fun for a change.

I’m sure someone will find this kind of authenticity worrisome.  Discovering a blog post that includes a piece of Haiku about a baby kicking my ass may very well dissuade someone from doing business with me.  There are traditionalists who want appreciate that sort of thing.  I can accept that.

It’s a small price to pay, really.  Besides, who knows how many ultra-cool people might actually like it?

An Alternative to the War of Separation…

If you’re fighting and losing a bloody war of attrition in the effort to defend or establish a dividing line between work and home, consider waving the white flag and walking away from it.  It may not be the right fight.  Consider integration instead of separation.

It’s okay if your peas touch your meat, folks.  That’s true whether you hate shoes like me or if the idea of dressing like a corporate bigwig gives you a thrill.

At least that’s my experience.

What’s yours?  Are you having a great time keeping your freelancing career and your personal life separate or do you feel like a struggle?  If it is tough, do you think it’s a fight worth having?  Can you imagine surrendering to overlap and to integration?

I’d love to know.  I see many people writing about keeping things clearly delineated and very few, if any, advocating wholesale integration.  It probably won’t change my perspective, but I’d like to know if I’m a nut-case.

When Freelance Writers Need a Wake Up Call

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In order to encourage the freelancer writers in this community, I like to keep the tone light and positive. Though I don’t take the “in your face” approach to blogging, I’ll agree that there are plenty of times when freelance writes need to have the truth laid out for them in order to view all sides of the picture. With that in mind, I’d like to discuss some of the things that aren’t so pleasant and hopefully inspire struggling freelancers to re-evaluate their career choices and goals.

To be perfectly blunt, there are times freelance writers need a wake up call. If they’re struggling all day, every day, and no money is coming in, there’s something wrong. This doesn’t always mean they’re not in the right career, but oftentimes it does.

Let’s explore some of the reasons freelancers may want to reconsider their career choice, or, at the very least, come up with a new business or marketing plan. Most of us chose freelancing to have a positive experience, if that’s not happening some self and business evaluation is necessary. Struggling freelance writers would do well to explore the reasons behind their lack of success and decide what they’re going to do about it.

Here are a few situations when freelance writers need to rethink their strategy – and maybe even their career choice.

When they’ve been doing this for years and still earning $5 an hour

Simply put, freelancers need to profit from their work. Most of us think it’s nonsensical to put in a full day’s work and only receive enough in return to pay the bare minimum bills, if that. Indeed, in the “real world” we expect cost of living increases and the ability to put at least a little bit into savings. If you’re trying to make a living as a freelance writer but only barely earning pocket change, you need to rethink your earning strategy. Some writers feel the flexibility and work at home lifestyle are perks that make up for extremely low pay. Consider that eight hours of work is eight hours of work -regardless of whether you’re home or in an office. Your time is worth something. In order for our clients to value our time, WE need to value our time. The beautiful thing about freelance writing is that we don’t have an employer telling us how much we can earn, or how much of an increase we may (or may not) receive. We make our own rules, and that includes the amount we wish to receive per gig.

Wake up call: You’re not earning enough money…why is this? Is it because you’re not choosing the right kinds of clients or setting the right amount for your rates? As freelancers we should always make the choices that are best for us and our situations. However, if your freelance writing lifestyle isn’t contributing to a better situation, you need to analyze why. Sometimes it’s a simple as raising your rates, other times, it’s because you’re only focusing on entry level opportunities. Take a deep breath and make the changes that will enable your bank account to grow with your career. This can include a client overhaul, a new specialty, a new business plan and especially, a raise in rates.

When they’re receiving nothing but rejection

Nothing is more frustrating and disheartening than rejection. Usually our stock answer to freelance writers regarding rejection is to consider themselves in good company and remember it’s a way of life for this career. However, we can learn a lot from rejection. Sometimes an editor will add a useful note to a rejection letter telling us why we’re not a good fit and offering tips for submitting or applying again. Sometimes a second pair of eyes on our cover letters and writing samples tell us what we need to know too. When we receive rejection every time we apply and absolutely no one is biting, it might be more than a typo or a bad fit.  I’m not one to tell people to give up, but no gigs after five years of trying might be telling you something.

Wake up call: If no one wants to hire you, it doesn’t necessarily mean you might not be a very good writer, but that might well be the case. I know writers who have applied to hundreds of jobs over several years and only find work paying small residual change for places without a strict acceptance policy. If this is you, consider whether or not you’re cut out for writing, or if this is the result you’re looking to achieve. If you belong to a writing community, ask trusted members to critique some of your best writing. I know it’s hard to hear criticism, but it’s often necessary in order to know what we’re doing wrong (and right.)

When all their spare time is spent working

There are two main reasons writers spend all day working. The first is because they love what they do and lose track of time. The other is that they’re trying to earn enough to make ends meet and the only way to do that is work 15 hours a day.. .and even that’s not enough. So now we have a problem, we work at home in order to have freedom, but we’re chained to our desks 80 hours a week. Is it worth it?

Wake up call: If you’re working all day because you want to earn $60,000 a year, you may want to rethink your approach. It’s one thing to work four to eight hours each day to earn that much, it’s another to spend every waking hour with low paying gigs in order to pay the bills. It’s time to work smarter not harder. Instead of taking a $7 project, find a similar project paying, say $30. Now you’re earning quadruple the rate and you can reach your goal income in less time. Every six months to a year, reassess your situation and see if you need to increase your rates again.

When they’re not happy

Damn it, it’s not enough to be “boss free.” Your happiness counts for something too. If you hate your job and hate writing, why are you doing it? It’s funny how we fantasize about leaving our office jobs but we’re much more hesitant to leave a work at home lifestyle because we don’t want to give up the flexibility.  To be honest, I had more time when I worked in an office job because I left my job at 5:00 each day and didn’t go near it on the weekends.

Wake up call: Um, hello? When did your happiness become so insignificant? If you’re not enjoying yourself, explore why. Is it a particular client? Decide whether or not he’s replaceable. Is it because you don’t enjoy writing?  Decide whether or not this is the career for you or consider other types of work from home opportunities. Is it because you’re lonely? Make sure to find time for friends and family. Go to lunch with “the girls” or have a movie night with your friends.

Understanding the Reasons Behind Your Lack of Success

Maybe other freelance writers can weigh in her too, but for me examining why I’m not a success always helps me to achieve success. Every now and then when I have a dry period of potential clients aren’t so receptive to my queries, I do a little analysis to see why. I go over my writing samples, cover letters and resume. Every now and then things need updating, you know?

Something else I learned is that a second set of eyes helps us to see what we’re missing. Understanding the reasons behind our lack of success will help us to determine whether or not we’re doing the right thing or going about things the right way. The important thing to remember is you’re not a failure if you decide this life isn’t for you.

We’re freelancers because we want to enjoy life. When we’re not happy or not successful we’re not enjoying anything.

What are some of the wake up calls you received regarding freelance writing? What did they tell you and what action did you take next?

Managing Full Time Blogging & Kids ALL Summer Long

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Deb just posted some excellent summer options for work-at-home parents and they’re handy but I have a few more suggestions along with some helpful tips. Summer, for me is a little like 3 months worth of chaos. Not only does my son’s free school shut down, but my partner’s kiddos are at the house more. Three kids + FT paid blogging + FT self-run projects = insanity on my part. It’s like a much longer winter break; ugh.

First read managing work in a chaotic household for some general help then keep reading below for some summer specific tips.

Summer camp – summer camp is an outstanding option (as Deb notes) IF you can afford it. Many work-at-home parents, well, parents in general, think they can’t afford camp. However, in reality, most parents can afford summer camp. I wrote a much longer post about this, not surprisingly titled – You Can Afford Summer Camp, but here’s a quick recap if you don’t want to click that link.

  • Sign up NOW! My son’s camp takes off $ just because I sign him up early.
  • Most camps offer group deals for siblings or if you can get friends to sign up.
  • Many camps offer parent volunteer programs which lower the cost of your attendance. This means more time you don’t have, but if your child gets to go to camp, leaving you some alone time to work it could be worth it.
  • Most camps offer partial or total scholarships and other financial assistance for families. Ask if the camp participates in income-eligible subsidy programs such as through Title XX.
  • Use your Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account to pay for camp. Visit the FSA Feds Web site for more information.
  • Find a less expensive camp by shopping around and by first checking with your child’s school, the local community centers, your local park & rec association, or your local YMCA.
  • Summer camp is a tax write off which rocks for all parents but especially rocks for freelance parents (great write-off).

Employ the kids – this is kind of a different option, but one I’ve been considering since my son started saying, “I want to be a blogger.” My son is too young yet and not a strong enough writer to blog, but my boyfriend’s oldest daughter is an excellent writer, likes blogging and wants a PT job. She could easily blog on her own. It’ll take you a day or so to get your older kids set up with a blog site, or to prep them to blog at a site you own, but for an interested kid this is a cool summer project and a way to make some possible revenue $.

Get your summer gigs lined up now – I know this is variable on the market, your job hunting skills and a ton of other stuff, but working, kid-care and looking for writing work adds up to crazy days. If you can manage it, get your summer gigs lined up and contracted before the summer kicks off, not after.
Need some tips?

Work fewer but MUCH longer days – I actually do this now but it’s a good summer strategy too. My son is with his dad on most Sundays and Mondays and my boyfriend makes sure that his kids are with their mom on most of those days as well. That leaves me two full days per week with zero kids. On those two days I work to the extreme. Because I work as a social media manager for a few clients, I have to work every day not just Sundays and Mondays, however, I can get a huge bulk of posts pre-scheduled for blog clients on those two days, as well as a lot of my own project stuff done leaving mostly just social media tasks Tues-Sat. At the end of those two days I’m a little beat, but it does mean I’ve got more time during the week to spend with the kids.

Now, I’m a single parent, so Cedar can go to his dad’s house obviously, but if you’re not, it’s not easy to send the kids somewhere for two days straight. What you can do though is arrange for some sort of care one or two days a week. Say, an overnight with a pal, a relative or simply a longer camp day. Do anything you can to get help for the bulk of two days, work ahead and then have more time the rest of the week.

Got guilt? It’s hard to have your kids gone for the bulk of a day or two, but you’ll feel better in the long run because you’ll have actual time with your kids when they are home vs. having to work. I hate when my son is here and I have to say, “Shhhhh – I have to work!” I’d rather have him gone for two long days, then get to spend five quality days with him. Actually, kids get this. I’m honest with Cedar about the schedule and he gets that if I don’t get two long days of work in, he’ll not get as much quality time with me on the days he is here.

Prep those kids for independence – If you’ve always been a catering parent, stop. Here’s an example, my friend’s kids won’t do anything for themselves. If they want cereal, a snack, juice, entertainment, a DVD put in and so on, their mama  or dad does it, and that’s nice sure but one, these kids are over ten years old (um?).  Two, kids who can’t do for themselves become a serious problem if you work at home. Three these parents complain, “I never have any time!” well duh. Don’t get me wrong, kids should get help but seriously, kids can very easily get an ice pop, clean up their own mess, fix an easy lunch and even entertain themselves sometimes. If you’ve been slaving for the kids, stop it now and everyone will be happier and more independent.

How do you manage kids + summer + freelance blogging?

10 Reasons Why the WAHM Thing Might Not Be Working Out

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I left my day job exactly 8 years ago to become a freelance writing WAHM. Prior to that I worked as a freelance writer for two years while still juggling a full time day job. Freelancing from both sides of the fence wasn’t always easy, especially when just starting out. Thankfully I worked hard and stuck with it. Thankfully, I was successful and didn’t have to return back to an office job.

Working at Home: It’s Not What You Think

In ten years time, I’ve seen many of my fellow WAHMs start a business but go back to full time outside of the home work because they weren’t succeeding, or the money wasn’t rolling in as much and as fast as they hoped.  The truth is, this looks so easy and glamorous to the outside world.  What can be more attractive than working from the back deck while sipping premium coffee as the youngsters run around?

Except that’s not a far picture of the WAHM lifestyle. Working at home involves actual work and very little of it is glamorous.

After building relationships with WAHMs over the past decade (and being one myself)  I think I have some insight into why some of us succeed, or why some of us have to “go back to work.” I can tell you many of us didn’t expect it to be so lonely. Also, plenty of WAHMs found out they need to have other members of a team at hand to motivate them and keep them on task.

The truth is, there are many reasons WAHMs go back to their day jobs.

1. It’s Harder Than You Thought

Working at home isn’t easy. I’m not talking about the job itself, I’m talking about the physical act of working. At home. If there are kids in the house your attention is constantly being diverted in different directions. You’re constantly called on to open juice boxes, referee arguments and act as taxi driver for playdates and cheerleading practice. There are other distractions as well: lunch with the girls, Dr. Oz, the fridge…and the list goes on. Sitting down and completing one task at home is a rude awakening when compared to the ability to sit down and complete one task at an outside job.

2. You’re Lax in Your Habits

When you’re a WAHM there is no boss standing over you reminding you of project deadlines. There are no team members waiting on you to do your part. You’re accountable to you, and you only. When you’re a WAHM it’s easy to take sick days whenever you want or blow off work in favor for a day out on the beach or afternoon at the spa. Truthfully, the most successful WAHMs are those with the best working habits. They know they can enjoy down time, but they make sure all their commitments are complete before taking fun time. That isn’t to say that as WAHMs you can’t schedule fun time, just be sure to get your priorities straight.

3. You Have No Defined Path

Many WAHMs leave the traditional workplace wanting to work from home but not really sure of what kind of work to do. The choices are overwhelming. Should you write? Become a virtual assistant? Consult as a business coach? The most successful WAHMs know exactly what they will do before leaving their present job and research accordingly. They don’t quit a job and wonder what to do next.

4. You’re Looking to Earn Money Rather than Looking for a Job or Career

Many WAHMs aren’t necessarily looking to have a career. Rather, they want to earn money so they can contribute to the household while staying home with their kids. There’s nothing wrong with this until it leads to a lot of “here and there” earning. Instead of focusing on one particular avenue, some WAHMs simply take whatever pays. They’ll do party plans, residual writing, transcription and anything else where a mom can work at home. The problem is, all this piece mail working can lead to burnout. Scrambling to fulfill obligations from several different ventures diverts focus and procrastination sets in.

5. You Work Whenever

Another common issue among WAHMs is finding the time to work. Or, rather, finding the time to work without interruption. Just like taking piece mail jobs, working here and there throughout the day also diverts the focus. As mentioned above, it’s hard to pay attention to a task when attention is demanded elsewhere. It’s true not everyone has the time or means to work an eight hour day, undisturbed. However, even one or two quiet hours make a difference. Having regular business hours can help you — and others — respect your time.

6.You Don’t Take Your Clients (or Your Business) Seriously

Deadline. Schmedline. Your client will get his work when you’re good and ready. Cable outages, sick kids and Aunt Martha’s funeral are some of the excuses you use when not fulfilling your promises. Eventually though, clients stop being sympathetic and start seeing excuses as, well, excuses. Even though you like being a WAHM because of the flexibility, you can’t blow off your work all the time because now you’re letting down the people who pay you – and the people who can refer you to other clients.

7. You Don’t Want it Bad Enough

Eh. If this doesn’t work out I’ll just do something else. Whatever.

8. Your Few Precious Hours of Working Time are Spent on Facebook, Twitter and in Forums

Social media and social networking can do wonders for a career. It can also be an amazing timesuck. If you only have two hours to spare for client work and that time is being spent playing Mafia Wars or Tweeting about your kids, you may want to rethink your priorities.

9. You’re Not Cut Out for the Lifestyle

My sister in law worked at home for a couple of years and hated it. She had no kids at the time and telecommuted for her full time job after moving out of state. The problem is she was lonely. She missed the camaraderie and the lunches out with her friends. She missed being a part of a physical team rather than a virtual team. She missed the commute and being around people all day. This isn’t the lifestyle for everyone and you’re not a failure if it’s not your cup of tea.

10. You Actually Thought You Could Earn $50,000 per Month

You decided to work from home because those ads with all the exclamation points lured you in, didn’t you? I’m sorry to beak it to you that doesn’t happen. Plenty of WAHMs earn several thousand each month but we worked very hard to get where we are. No job, in virtual land, or the real world, is going to pay you that much money – especially during your first week on the job. Realistic WAHMs make it. Those who follow false promises fall behind.

Separating Work from Home When You Work from Home

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The key to work from home success without stress is balance.

The key to work from home success without stress is balance.

I’ve long maintained folks who work at home work more hours than our commuting counterparts. For many of us, if the computer is on, we’re at work. We just can’t shut down. Last weekend I learned an important lesson because I didn’t shut off Skype and ended up working most of the holiday weekend. Where do you draw the line when you work at home? The way I see it, the problem is twofold:

Set Business Hours

When I worked a regular 9 to 5 job it was easy for me to get in my home frame of mind. I left my job every day at the designated time, went home and did home stuff.  I don’t have that kind of luxury when I work at home. You can’t put on your coat and go home when your office is in the same place you eat, sleep and bathe.

It’s easier said than done, but establishing business hours can help you draw the line. Speaking from experience, it’s tough to say, “OK, it’s 6:00. I’m done working for the day” and leave your work at home job. Once you get into a routine however, it’s  easy to switch hats.

Getting Into the Right Frame of Mind

This has been the topic of much discussion but I honestly believe clothes help to set the tone. I change into comfortable working clothes when it’s time to get down to business, and wear something else for relaxation time with my family. Yes, I have been known to wear my flannel penguin pajama pants while working from time to time, but the clothes really do help to put me in the proper mindset.

I also find that if I have established business hour, say when my family is at work and school, I have a better ability to focus. I can’t always pay attention to my job when my son is practicing piano or my husband is running power tools. Having quiet time to work each day helps to put me in the right frame of mind. Once the family starts getting down to business, it’s time for me to close shop. [Read more…]

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