How do you balance the busyness of parenting your kids and the demands of building a business from home? Being a parent requires endurance, patience, creativity and a whole lot more. Add a home business to that mix and you have a recipe for overload.

How do you manage both parenting and business and be successful and happy while doing it? It takes a person with strength of character but it is possible. So what is the solution to finding the balance it takes to be both a parent and a home-based business entrepreneur.

Discovering the Joy of Balancing Parenting and Working from Home:

3 Most Common Deterrents of Balance:

1. Chaos. When we are pulled from one demand to the next chaos reigns. Too many demands on our time and energy drain us of the power to accomplish anything worthwhile.

2. Overwhelmed. Very few positions in life are as demanding as being a parent who longs to have successful parenting skills; never mind all the other obligations we have added to our lives. Working from home presents a whole new level of responsibility and with that we often cave under the suffocating feeling of being overwhelmed. How do we get our lives back to functioning smoothly?

3. Lack of Motivation. With all there is to do we can easily lose the motivation it takes to keep up with our responsibilities. The tasks can be daunting or the rewards are not immediate or the needs are so great that we struggle to find the motivation we need to succeed in all areas of life. Where do we find the motivation to keep working diligently?

3 Solutions for Finding Balance:

1. Organize. Organize your home and your time. When you are organized you function with a clear mind and with clear direction. Organizing your life will be your #1 solution to finding a life that is balanced.

2. Direction. Defeat the debilitating foe of being overwhelmed. Know where you want to go and what you want to accomplish. When you know the desired outcome you will have a path to follow. Make sure that path is clearly laid out for you and then take the steps along the path to reaching the place where your dreams are being fulfilled.

3. Self-Motivation. Learn to motivate yourself by visualizing what life will be like when your goals are accomplished. Imagine living that life now! What will it be like? What will you enjoy most? Once you have a clear picture of what life will be like when you are living your dreams then ask yourself the following question. “What is one action I can take today to move closer to having that image as a reality?”

The greatest advantages for someone with the ability to work from home, are the lack of a commute, the flexibility of schedule, and for a business owner, the elimination of an office lease. However, while the aforementioned advantages are solid, every home office presents the challenge of separating home life, from work life. If you can recognize this challenge in advance, you will be able to take it on with success. Below, I will outline some specific areas of advice.

First of all, make sure that your home business is actually suitable for the home. Not surprisingly, not all businesses fit this description. A business in which it is necessary for the customer to actually see what they are buying in person by visiting your home would probably turn your home into an actual place of business, and circumvent your home life.

Furthermore, treat your home office just as you would any office. What this means, is that you need to be professional at your home office, just as you would be in an office outside of the home. This means having a phone and voice mail system set up, keeping regular business hours, being organized, and absolutely no dogs barking, or children crying in the background, when on a phone call.

The location of your home office within your home will also be key. A proper location in your home will reduce interruptions. Just think for a moment and identify the place in your home which will be ideal for you to work. Preferably, this will be the quietest place in the house, in a comfortable setting. Equip this area with the tools and equipment necessary to run your home business.

Now that you have set your office up to your liking, let others in your life know of your plans. Make sure that both your friends and family are keenly aware of your work from home business hours. Doing so, you will be able to minimize distractions of friends stopping by or calling during work hours. This will also give your family a clear comprehension of your unavailability during your working hours, and enable them to aid in keeping you from becoming distracted.

Okay, you have the perfect location in your home for your business chosen. The office is furnished and equipped, and your friends and family are aware of your business hours. What is missing? Your plan is what is missing. It is of the utmost importance to plan, and achieve your plan if you work from home. If you are unable to finish the work planned for one day, do not allow yourself to get behind. Make sure that you start your next work day early and complete the unfinished task(s) from the prior day.

Gauge your performance by initially setting goals. By setting goals, you will not only keep yourself on track, but you will also have a barometer upon which to track your success. You should set both short and long-term realistic goals, which provide measurable results.

Please keep in mind that you need to balance your work life and your personal life. Try as best you can to not allow work to spill over into your personal life. You cannot just work every waking hour. If you are having a difficult time taking time for yourself, make a point to schedule time for yourself. During these hours you can meet up with friends or spend time with your family. Just realize that you need a healthy balance between work life and personal life in order to avoid burning out.

There will come a point where you will be able to delegate some of your daily or weekly tasks to someone else. You do not necessarily need to hire someone consistently, but you can outsource from time to time. Doing so will give you a better balance between work life and personal life.

If you follow the work from home tips set out in the article, you should have very nice success with your home business.