Overcoming,Isolation,Your,Home DIY Overcoming Isolation in Your Home Business

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in When starting a new work at home business it is very easy to become consumed by it. We spend so much time trying to get the business up and running that we may end up becoming burned out and lose our motivation. There is so much to learn and

Like most people, when you think about what it would be liketo work from home, you probably think of the obviousbenefits such as working your own hours, not having to facea stressful, tedious commute every day, actually seeing whatyour garden looks like in daylight hours, not having toanswer to a boss, being home when your children are, workingin a comfortable environment and so on. These are, ofcourse, some of only many wonderful benefits of working fromhome.Before long, though, you may begin to think back to yourprevious life and realize you actually miss those umpteenvisitors who were constantly interrupting you when you weretrying to work, the walk in the park at lunchtime with yourbest work-friend, drinks on Friday night after work, andbeing able to run an idea past a colleague for instant,valuable feedback.Now, everything is just, well, quiet. And there's no-onedown the hall to go visit who's over age four. You findyourself checking your email constantly, wanting to connectto someone. You find yourself wishing the phone would ring.You! The person who, when you worked in a job, cursedconstant telephone interruptions and thought voice- ande-mail was the greatest invention since sliced bread.Welcome to another reality of home-based business ... homealone.Here are some ways to avoid the isolation trap when runninga business out of your home:ESTABLISH A STRUCTURENothing is surer to reinforce feelings of isolation as timethat stretches as far as the eye can see like a straight,one lane highway through a flat, barren landscape. Don'tstart each day without a plan of what you intend to do. Youneed to structure your time so that it is not some endlesslyvast terrain you must traverse alone. So write a to-do list,preferably at the end of the day before, so that when yourwork day starts you get productive straight away, before theisolation blues have a chance to take hold.REACH OUTWhen writing your to-do list, make sure you include at leasttwo things every day that require you to interact withanother person. Networking is a vital skill, whether youwork for someone else or for yourself. So make contactswith people who can add value to your business, as well asconnecting you with the outsideworld.Joining a professional group or club, attending seminars andtrade shows relevant to your business are all great ways tomeet new people who have similar interests and challenges.Participate in the activities organized by these groups andtake a good supply of business cards with you.ESTABLISH JOINT VENTURESAnother way to keep the isolation blues at bay is to jointventure with other home-based business owners. Team up withother businesses that offer complementary services to yourbusiness. Not only will you send additional business eachother's way in the form of referrals, you are establishingprofessional relationships with your joint venture partners.ORGANIZE YOUR OWN FUNCTIONSOnce you have joined various associations and formed jointventure partnerships, take the initiative and organizefunctions that bring you all together. These could bebusiness-oriented networking sessions or purely socialget-togethers such as a barbeque in the local park. Eitherway, you are forging a relationship with people in your newarena, just as you did when you were working in a corporateoffice. The only difference is that now you must take theinitiative to forge these relationships. These are notpeople you are going to be seeing every day at the office.JOIN A GYMYou are, of course, health conscious and physically active,right? Of course you are! So, why not kill two birds withone stone ... stay fit and meet new people. If youestablish a routine that allows you to be at the gym at thesame time every day, you will run into many of the samepeople and get to know them.USE THE INTERNETMaking online friends is another way of staying connectedwith the outside world. Be very disciplined here though.It's way too easy to spend a lot of work time on socialemail exchanges and in chat rooms. Don't fritter away yourtime, but do seek out and maintain internet friendships.BACKGROUND NOISESometimes, it's only silence that reminds you you're alone.If you come from a corporate environment, your workday waspunctuated by the constant background noise of telephonesringing, other people's conversations, hysterical laughterfrom the other end of the office and lunch trolley pagesover the intercom system. If you find absolute quietirksome, turn on the radio and have it playing in thebackground while you work. Talk stations are good becauseit's like having other people in the next room, but if youfind yourself becoming so engrossed with the talk topicsthat you stop working and start listening, switch to amusic station.There is no avoiding the fact that making the transitionfrom a corporate environment to a home-based business isjust that ... a transition. Most people will have tograpple with the isolation monster in the early days oftheir work-from-home career. But, as you can see, thereare many ways of keeping isolation and loneliness at bayjust by reaching out and forming new associations. Remember,just because you work alone doesn't mean you have to go italone. Article Tags: Home-based Business