Working at home and being your own boss is great. You can choose your own hours, wear what you want to work and listen to whatever you want on the radio whilst you work. But there are drawbacks and the biggest one that people come across is their family.

Many family members will have the impression that you are at home working for a couple of hours and then surfing the web the rest of the day, whilst in reality you’re probably working more hours than they are. Do you (try) to start work when they leave for their place of work then finish when they come home for tea, only to start again afterwards?

Common things for family members to ask whilst you are trying to work and they are out are: Can you do the washing/ironing/hoovering/garden/take the dog out/post this letter. All of which will take you away from what you are supposed to be doing.

Here are some of my tips to make sure that people know you are working:

1. Make it clear that the housework won’t get done. Would it get done if you had an office in town?
2. Ignore your house phone when it rings. Again, you wouldn’t answer it if you weren’t there
3. If other people are in the house when you are working make sure that your office door is shut. Put a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on it if needed
4. Don’t work in a busy area such as the kitchen table or lounge. These are the areas that people will pass through most often. If your business is cooking however, it might be an idea to work in the kitchen
5. If a family member still persists that you’re not working all day, ask them to shadow you for a day to see just how much work you really are doing.

It’s essential that you start as you mean to go on if you are anticipating working from home long-term. If your family are aware from the start how you intend to run your business it will make your life a lot easier in the early stages of your business’ development.

Have you any tips to make working from home easier?