So
you've made the decision to work at home.
Congratulations -- You're about to join a modern movement
of over 14 million that grows by about 500,000 every year.
If
you've done your homework, you probably have a good idea
of how much money you'll need to invest to get your business
off the ground. But business success does not come about
through money alone. There is another resource you need to
consider: Your time. You
may presently work an eight-hour day and commute a
couple of additional hours each way. If you applied this
time to your own home business, you would have 50 hours
each week to devote to your business. That should be enough -- right? That
depends... If your decision to work at home was spurred
by a desire to have a more balanced family life, you need to
take a long hard look at how those hours will really be
spent. Just as your create a budget for your finances, you
need to budget your time. Here's
a hypothetical look at the schedule of a "typical"
work at home parent:
| 7:00
- 9:00 |
Get
up, get kids up, make breakfasts and
lunches, get kids ready for school |
2
hours
|
| 9:00
-10:00 |
Drive
kids to school, return home |
1
hour
|
| 10:00
-2:30 |
Kids
in school; time to work |
4
hours
|
| 2:30
- 3:30 |
Pick
kids up, run errands, return |
1.5
hours
|
| 3:30
- 6:00 |
Family
time; may include running kids to lessons and other activities |
2.5
hours
|
| 6:00
- 8:00 |
Prepare
dinner, sit down to eat, clean up, put youngest kids to bed
|
2
hours
|
| 8:00
-11:00 |
Time
with older kids/spouse |
3
hours
|
| 11:00
-7:00 |
Sleep |
8
hours
|
|
|
|
24
hours
|
Of
course, your own needs may be different. You may only
have one child with few after-school activities, or older
kids who get to school on their own. Your child may not yet
go to school, which would change this schedule
significantly. The point is that you do have to plan for
when you will work. Using
the hypothetical schedule above, we've allotted four
hours per day -- or 20 hours from Monday to Friday -- to
work. Depending on the type of business you launch, that may
be enough. Then again, take another look at this schedule:
There's no time allotted for lunch. Even if you tend to eat
at your desk, you need to make time for breaks, let's say
1/2 hour per day. Do you exercise? We'll add another 30
minutes daily for that. What about housework? Even with kids
who are old enough to help, you'll probably want to spend
some time keeping your home in order. Let's give that
another hour per day and we promise not to look under your
bed for dust bunnies. And don't forget to take some time
for yourself; one hour a week for a manicure or lunch with
a friend. You need to figure in these items too.
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