Office Hours
Where do the hours go?
One of the things I like best about working at home is making my own schedule. I decide when to write, when to read and when to act. Sometimes I am writing copy, or blogging at 11pm. Other times, my schedule doesn’t fit with my client’s schedule and I am on a conference call at the zoo with 5 preschoolers (thank God for mobility!). Often we convene by phone in the evening when other calls are not causing constant interruptions. Somehow it works.
One issue I face in working at home is that no matter what I determine my hours to be, others think they can call me whenever it’s convenient for them. I have a problem not answering the phone when it rings. I tell myself it is okay to let the machine pick it up, but I don’t usually listen!
I’m assuming all at-home entrepreneurs have issues with time management. I want to know how you deal with it. Do you turn off the cell phone at 5pm? Do you have a dedicated line and answer only 9-5. Do you take calls late into the night? Do you strictly adhere to a certain schedule? Is your schedule something you created, or do you follow someone else’s rules? Offer advice that works for you, or post a dilemma for a response from the nation.
May 25th, 2005 at 2:07 pm
When you say others, I assume you mean those who are not clients. I understand taking client calls whenever they come. But, I had a problem with neighbors who thought that just because I was home, I wasn’t doing anything. I just had to be up front about being busy at that particular time of day. There was such a problem with one neighbor, that I had to just stop calling her back and if she came to the door, I had to tell her I was on the clock. Once the neighbors got the message, I now can count on using my time to direct my focus to getting my projects completed by deadline and stop worrying about interruptions which is one of the reasons I work at home.
Call your client(s) first and early in the business day. I do this to pu my clients on [b]my[/b] schedule. I call her at a certain time each day to establish her available time. If we can’t get together that day, then I spend some time with her on the phone to get information I process later. It’s not hard to get clients used to your work habits. If you contact your client daily at a certain time during the ongoing project, she’ll relax, tell you what’s on her mind and let you do the work for which she hired you. This does a couple of things. It gives your client the feeling she’s hired a professional and makes her secure that you’re being productive with your time and her money.
Hope this helps.
May 26th, 2005 at 9:46 am
Great advice Belinda. I know what you mean about friends and neighbors. Even family members who would never call me at "the office" call to chat in the middle of my work time. You are right about training people. I’d like to hear how others have done it successfully!
June 12th, 2005 at 12:41 am
Its a bear working from home with a family thats all around you. I am coming up on my first summeer at home with wife and kids home for summer. It will be tuff because I have strict rules about my time. Because I work retail emcommerce of expensive items my phone rings all day and most of night. I set aside side sales calls for all other calls can wait, parts and after sale calls. My main tools are email and the phone. One thing is good I do travel and get just about as much done. I would like to hhaer how others manage thier hours at home.
June 16th, 2005 at 6:42 pm
I work for an online phone-to-Web company called RingCentral (but other companies offer similar products). These companies offer products that help you manage your calls, faxes and email through the Web. It really works and it’s great for at-work workers and small businesses who depend on phones, faxes and email for their jobs.(www.ringcentral.com)