BALANCING A HOME-OFFICE

Okay, so today is another day where I get the chance to work those balancing muscles!   There is much to do in preparation for my new radio show: I just finished a training session with the tech people so I know what buttons are pushed and at what times...so I know what I'm doing on Friday 12/10 at 9:00am (pacific time)...now I am fielding phone calls and e-mail from my steady customers who are beginning to smell Year End Financial Due Dates!   On top of this I've got to confer with my Internet Marketing person who makes me look good online - her name is Erin and she is home-based....I also need to speak with John, my website guru to make the changes I need...he is home-based as well!  On the personal side, I've got thank you's to send out to the wonderful people who hosted us over Thanksgiving back in New England, as well as Andi and Steph who threw the Hannukah party this year.  I have also got to get organized for Christmas...presents, menus, invitations (thank goodness for e-mail!), etc.  It's a good thing that my husband, The Vice-President In Charge of Everthing, does his share, or at least the things I tell him to do!

How do I proceed with this long list of things to do:  I make a better list!   I've done this for years and it actually works for me.  You might try it and like it too!   I take a blank sheet of paper and draw a line straight down the middle.  Then another line right across the page, so basically I have 1 piece of paper with 4 squares.  In each square I give it a heading: Office, Home, Inside, Outside.  Office is of course my work and Home is my personal life.  I list things in both of these squares such as: Call Mark (producer of radio show) or Call Tine (my sister) about what she is making for Christmas.   The third square is Outside for things that need to be done outside the house: post office, bank, groceries, shoe repair, etc.  And the 4th square is Inside for things such as: move furniture and make room for tree.   I always feel much better when I have this list....even though I add to it throughout the day and it seems endless.

I always stop "work" (when I leave my desk) at 5:30pm...I start dinner, my husband bbq's and sets table, we eat and clean up.  He heads for the Sports Channel and I head back to the office; I pick up what I have set aside for reading and research and head for the living room....we are physically in the same room - he is doing his thing and I am doing mine....I have found this to balance my time in a way that nothing is neglected and I don't go nuts moving back and forth from one thing to another.....so now, tell me what works for you?   How do you balance out your professional live with your home life if you've got a spouse and kids?   Hey, why don't you call me during the show and we can talk about it then?   THE HOME-BASED BUSINESS SHOW, Fridays at 9:00am pacific time....www.voiceamerica.com        Talk soon, Helene