One great thing about being a home – based professional is that you can do your work in the comfort of your own home. This aspect of home – based work has been especially enjoyable the past few months as I have gotten more and more pregnant and less and less comfortable in the maternity clothes that I wore the last time around. As offensive as it is to my sense of fashion, I spend much of my time in sweatpants including my work time. Some home – based professionals would advise against working in your pajamas or sweatpants, insisting … Continue reading →

If you’re like me, you don’t get regularly scheduled days off from work. I can request time off from my editor if I know well in advance of an upcoming vacation or something. But I don’t schedule myself regular time off. For instance, my husband automatically gets four weeks of vacation each year. I also find myself working on a lot of holidays. And while that may be my choice, it is also part of what can happen when you work from home. Many people have this misconception that working from home means excess free time. But I have actually … Continue reading →

Whether you are a home – based professional or you are thinking of becoming one, it can be very inspiring to read about other people who have made the transition from the traditional workplace to working on their own. Today, as I was taking a little time to have some fun and do some online window shopping on Etsy, I also took some time to look at the Etsy blog. As many of you know, Etsy is an amazing online marketplace where sellers can sell only handmade and vintage items. On the Etsy blog, there is an ongoing series of … Continue reading →

Everyone has their quirks. I have plenty to go around. My Quirks I hate talking on the phone. I know business is based on communication. I know there will com times in business when you have to speak on the phone. However, I try to avoid it at all costs. I am happy emailing. I have strong introvert tendencies. I suppose that is why writing comes easier to me. I have to have access to a pen. Most of my work is conducted online which means I use a keyboard. If I am working on my writing, I use a … Continue reading →

“Success is the sum of small efforts—repeated day in and day out.” ~ Robert Collier, author That is one of my favorite quotes. It is a quote I have to repeat to myself on those days when small efforts seem to add up to small things. It is easy to get weary doing mundane tasks. It can become discouraging when you put in so much work and feel like success eludes you. Most of the time, we feel this way because we are comparing ourselves to another person’s success or we are impatient with our progress. We are anxious to … Continue reading →

Every night I write a “to-do” list. I am often surprised at how my “to-do” list looks strangely similar from one night to the next. You may think that is due to routine when in fact it is due to not following the “to-do” list from the previous night. My “to-do” lists tend to become rollover lists from what I intended on doing that day but got sidetracked. I would feel defeated as I began a new list and the same twenty things were on there. I thought I was nothing but an unorganized, immature, woman pretending to play businesswoman. … Continue reading →

Often, the work of a home – based professional is enjoyable. They have made a decision to do work that they like from the comfort of their home on a schedule of their choosing. As enjoyable as that may sound, it is not always perfect nor should one expect it to be. No matter how much you love your work, there will be times when you do not feel motivated to do it. Perhaps you feel tired sometimes when it is time to work. That happens all the time over here, as I do most of my work after my … Continue reading →

Today, I realized that I had been preparing myself for life as an entrepreneur long before I had even heard of the word. I was reading this blog post by my co – blogger Richele McFarlin about businesses that kids can start, and I realized that I had started babysitting for neighbors as soon as I was old enough to take a babysitting class. Sure, I had other jobs during high school and even during college, but I always had at least a few babysitting clients. When I started out as a babysitter, I was simply watching the neighbor’s children … Continue reading →

As a home – based professional, you may have precious few hours within which to complete your work, let alone run your business. Today as I started to think about an interesting topic to write about, I began to think about that. The phrase “do just one thing” popped into my head and I realized what an important principle that is for home – based professionals to understand and appreciate. Interestingly enough, the phrase “do just one thing” does not come from any book about business. It may be mentioned somewhere in one or more business books, but the way … Continue reading →

Whether you are the type to make New Year’s resolutions or not, the New Year brings with it a certain type of fresh energy. It’s not like you are starting something over again, because everything that you have already done is still in force. However, something about changing the date on the calendar seems to inspire us to try a little harder and do a little better than we have done before. I am not the type to make New Year’s resolutions, but I am excited about the energy of a new year. It reminds me of why I do … Continue reading →