Isolation and guilt are two beasts home business owners wrangle with daily: isolation because there is no water cooler talk and guilt for taking advantage of a flexible work-from-home schedule. (“I should be at my desk, not walking the dog.”) Here are a few tips from COSE Home Business Network leader Pat Pell on how to work smart from home and enjoy the benefits.

☐ Dedicate space. Don’t allow work to leak into family areas of the home: kitchen, dining room, etc. “You need to go to an office every day, and that can be as elaborate as a room in your basement or as convenient as an office cabinet where you put your computer and phone,” Pell says.

☐ Delegate tasks. “When you’re home-based, you wear every single hat: You’re the accountant, marketing director, PR person,” Pell says. Consider a virtual assistant or bookkeeper to free up time.

☐ Give yourself a break. Go for a walk; watch your daughter’s noon softball game. At the very least, take a break away from your home office space. “Put these things in your calendar so if a client calls to meet at that time, you are unavailable,” Pell says.

☐ Get out! You won’t meet sales prospects in your living room. “Networking can be a lunch group, people you have coffee with weekly,” Pell says. “You need to get out and talk to other people because how else will [clients] find you?”

- Best Practices Toolbox - Entrepreneurship

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