Do you ever work seven days a week for your home business? I do!
Freedom and flexibility are often reasons that people dream of owning a home business. These are the reasons that I often work seven days a week for my own home business.
When you think of owning a home business, you probably don?t think about working every day. Instead, the idea behind owning a home business is that you can leave the rat race behind and make more money on your own terms. Many would-be home business owners don?t really think about what that means, however.
Many entrepreneurs and solopreneurs actually find themselves working more than they did when they worked for ?the man? ? at least at first. Over time, as you become more established and as your home business becomes more successful, you can usually reduce the hours you work and enjoy the freedom and flexibility you expected when you first decided to strike out on your own.
However, even when you reach the point where you have a little more breathing room, it might still make sense to work seven days a week for your home business. I regularly work every day for my business. Here?s how I do it:
I Don?t Work at My Home Business All Day
When I say I work seven days a week for my home business, I don?t mean that I work all day each of those days. The great thing about being able to set your own schedule is that you can work a little bit each day. Most days, I work between three and five hours a day. Setting my schedule up so that I work a few hours each day means I have more freedom and flexibility each day. Sure, I do a little work every day. But I rarely work 40 hours a week. There are some weeks that I don?t even hit the 30 hour mark ? even if I?ve worked every single day that week.
Sometimes I Shift Work to the Weekends
There are times when I want to do something on a weekday. Maybe my son has the day off school so we decide we want to go on a hike. Perhaps I want to go to the spa on a Wednesday while my son is in school and my husband is at work, and I don?t have to worry about much of anything. And, now that I live close to a few major cities, I might want to take a day trip.
My home business allows me the freedom and flexibility to say that I will work only one or two hours on a weekday, and shift some of the work to the weekend. I don?t have to worry about a ?regular? Monday through Friday work schedule, and I don?t have to worry about regular work days. Instead, I can do my work around what I?ve got on my docket. Of course, this works well for me because of the freelance nature of my home business. Someone with a different type of home business might not be as fortunate as I am.
I Can Work While I Travel
Additionally, I have the advantage of being able to work on my home business even when I?m not at home. I can do a little work while I?m on the train, or when I fly. When my son and I go on spring break each year, I regularly do a little work first thing in the morning, and last thing before bed. I get bite-sized work assignments squared away each day, and it adds up over the course of the week. Plus, when I work on a plane or train, I am usually more productive than usual, allowing me to maximize my time.
Sometimes I Still Get a ?Time Off? from My Home Business
Of course, I don?t work every day of every week for my home business. There are times when I do take ?time off? and I don?t do any work at all. I go camping a couple times during the summer, and I don?t work during those times that I?m in the woods. Not too long ago, I went to New Orleans for FinCon, and I resolved to take a true ?vacation? and not worry about writing articles the entire five days I was gone. It was a great way to decompress a little bit, and leave the stress of working for my home business behind.
Being able to have that type of flexibility is a big reason why I love what I do. Yes, there are lots of times that I work seven days a week. But that doesn?t bother me. As long as I have time to do what needs doing, and as long as I have time to enjoy myself with friends, family, and travel, I don?t get hung up on whether or not I work on the weekend.
Running my own home based business also allows me full freedom to schedule my time. Sometimes I do work every day, sometimes I might work on weekends (if the weather is bad) and take time off during the week. Maybe work few hours in the evening, so that I can spend the day with my baby .. the sky is the limit 😀
I agree that it’s great to be able to be flexible with the schedule. I like your point about the weather, too! I’ve been known to check the five-day forecast, and the create a work schedule around when the weather will be perfect for hiking so that I can get outdoors.
My parents both worked from home when I was younger and it gave them the freedom and flexibility to work when they chose, which allowed us more time together as a family. Money is not the only consideration when you’re working.
You make a great point about money not being the only consideration. When you’re working, your time can’t be used for something else. The freedom and flexibility of working from home means that I can do more of what I want. And it also means that I can spend more quality time with my family.
I wish I had scheduling as under control as it sounds some of you do. I work full-time job and work at least another 20-30 hours at a part-time business of mine as well. I’m not saying I’m stressed about it, I love both jobs, but I am definitely not working 30-40 hours/week!
I think it depends on what you end up doing, and how you make it work for you. When I first started doing this, there were weeks when I worked 50 or 60 hours a week.