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30 SECOND COMMUTE'S MUST-HAVE TOOLS FOR SUCCESS
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ARTICLESSummer is Here! Survival Tips for Working from Homeby Charlene Polanosky Just when you think things are going great, summer happens. Today is a day of mourning and celebration for myself and associates who work from home. Today is the last day of school. The kids are excited - I am too. However, I can't afford to close up shop for the summer, nor do I want to. So what is a work from home mom to do? Here are some strategies that have worked for me in the past. 1. Get Caller ID - If you haven't done this already, you should have. This way you can choose to speak to a client now, or when things are a bit more sane. 2. Divide and Conquer - With a little (okay, alot) of planning, you can still get quality hours in. Are your kids early birds or night owls? Capitalize on that time to get the bulk of your work done. After lunch each day, my kids have to take an hour of Quiet Time - on their beds. They can read, write or sleep. This gives me a chance to get in the office and check email, return phone calls, and regroup. 3. Enlist Some Help - When my kids were younger, I would hire a responsible teenager from the neighborhood to come over a few hours a few times a week and watch the kids while I worked. She would take them outside and play, and I could work. Now that they are older, my friends and I just take turns having all the kids over. It works well for everyone. 4. Communicate - Let your clients know about your new schedule. Chances are, they'll understand. With good communication, you can effectively manage their expectations and keep them happy. Most everyone is a bit more laid back in the summer. 5. Put the Kids to Work - I have explained to my children since they were very young, why I work from home and the importance of their cooperation. Now that they are getting a bit older, they are ready to help out - even if that means helping with housework so Mom has more time to play later in the day. I am teaching my 10 year old how to design Web sites this summer - I bought him a domain name to start with. My 7 year old has a lemonade business at the Farmer's Market on Saturday's. She is working on her spreadsheet to keep track of income and expenses. They both help with coming up with content and testing for our other site www.printables4kids.com. Be Creative! Relax and enjoy the summer for what it is. With some creativity, you can make the summer work without packing them all up for boarding camp. Don't forget to schedule some time for yourself, too. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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BREAK ROOM
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