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Whether you
work from your home's living room, a closet-turned-office, or an office
in an apartment, you can minimize interruptions. How? Below are some boundaries
to set with others. Don't forget to raise your standards, too!
- Keep your
office and house as separate as possible. Create an office that you
really enjoy walking into and that has everything you want in one area.
Organization books call it a "zone" - an area of the house
having one purpose.
- Schedule
your work hours and publicize the schedule on your web site or in your
newsletter. Stick to your schedule no matter what!
- Do not
answer the door when you're on the phone (unless you know someone is
coming to the office, of course).
- Hang a
"Do Not Disturb" sign on your office door and set boundaries
with family and friends.
- Outside
your front door place a special small box (or personal mailbox) for
people to leave you messages. Or leave a notepad and pencil on or near
your door.
- If you
have only one phone consider screening your calls using your answering
machine. A management class I attended at the American Management Association,
NYC, suggested that phone messages be taken and calls returned at your
convenience. As a home business owner, you can do the same thing by
using your answering machine to screen your calls.
-
These online
programs or hardware devices will help you decide whether to pick up your
phone and call someone who is trying to get to you while you're on the
computer. Costs vary depending on the services you're looking for plus
your local phone company will charge you for extra services such as call
forwarding and/or caller ID (all of the products listed below require
at least one of those extra services). Also consider that many online
companies will reduce your fees if you pay for one year's worth of services
at once. Most services offer a free 30 day trial. AOL, Mac and Linx users
check the system requirements before purchasing. Visit these sites for
more information.
- Callwave - Their free service
includes revolving ads.
- Pagoo - No ads, $4.95/month.
Lots of features at this price.
- Internet Call Manager
- Full service package for $5.95.
- BuzMe - Low-end product does
not allow you to take a call while on the computer. Yearly package
mid-range at $5.55/month is a value.
- Spirit
One - Free low-feature service.
- Internet Caller ID
- One-time hardware costs $46-109 depending on the system you choose.
You purchase call waiting for the lower priced system and Caller ID
on Call Waiting, or Call Waiting ID for the higher priced system.
Works for AOL users.
- Catch-a-Call - One time
hardware costs $49-89 depending on the system you choose. You must
have call waiting on your phone system. Does not let you know WHO
is calling, just that you have a call which maybe all you require.
Allows you to receive quick faxes, too.
- Purchase
a second phone or cell phone for work. Or consider adding a custom ring
number to your phone line. This will give you two numbers for about
$5 more a month. The new number will ring differently than the main
number - usually two short rings compared with one long one - so you
can tell when a call is business or personal. Let your personal calls
wait until after your scheduled work hours!
- Bring
water or something to drink into your office when you start work, and
maybe a small snack as well. If you enjoy tea or coffee, make sure you
have it close by.
- Do not
allow others to walk on your business boundaries. Learn to say no without
feeling guilty or giving long-winded explanations. Ask someone who is
calling about business to call you back on a day you work if they call
you on a leisure day.
Follow these
simple steps and watch your productivity soar!
© 1999-2003 Maria's Place (MP).
Maria Marsala, owner.
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