Mike Smith:
Family involvement can be a positive or negative when you’re working from home. Instead of exchanging your parenting hat for your office hat during the morning commute, you get to wear both at the same time. But work-at-home parents have developed many creative ways to balance work with family. For instance, one mother who holds writing classes in her home gives special prizes to her children if they quietly do their schoolwork while she teaches. Her business is a family affair!

Chores, childcare, and schoolwork simply won’t get done if your family isn’t willing to exercise some responsibility. By delegating some of these tasks, you make it possible for your family to join with you in working toward a common goal.

Depending on the type of work you do, you may even be able to add your kids to the payroll! Most children love to help out with their parent’s work. Depending on their age, they can help stuff envelopes or develop marketing ideas. Just remember to investigate the legal and tax issues involved.

By setting clear boundaries and respecting them, you can successfully balance work and family. Your children need to know exactly when and how they can interrupt you while you are working. And when your work hours are over, discipline yourself to shut down the computer, turn off your work phone, and give your full attention to your family. And until next time, I’m Mike Smith.