Working from home is a lifestyle many wish to pursue, and starting your own virtual assistant business can help you accomplish this. Although the advantages of working from home are abundant, this lifestyle also comes with its own drawbacks. Creating a daily work schedule can help maximize the advantages and minimize the drawbacks associated with the work from home career.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Working From Home
Flexibility is a huge draw to being your own boss. You are in charge of your schedule. If you have children at home, you can work around their nap time or playtime. You can also hire a babysitter to come to your home and watch the kids while you get caught up on work. If you have children in school, you can work while they’re in classes, allowing for more family time during off-school hours.
The disadvantages of being your own boss are not often realized until after you have begun working from home. If you have children at home, with a babysitter, there will still be interruptions. It can also be more difficult to manage your time as you are now your own boss, and have to impose your own deadlines on yourself.
Steps for Creating a Work Schedule
The steps below will help you create a work schedule that fits your individual business as well as your family’s own routine.
- Take out your daily calendar. Schedule everything that takes priority over your work schedule such as picking up/dropping off kids, important errands, or any other commitments.
- Decide how many hours a day you can commit to client work.
- Decide how many hours a day/week you need to run your business. This includes marketing, payroll, invoicing, etc.
- Now add those hours to your schedule, both client hours and business hours.
- Review your schedule often. It will take time to find the right routine that works for you.
Your work schedule will change as your personal life does. Kid’s schedules change, you take on new clients, or decide you need to lessen your workload. The key is to find what works for you.