Okay, you're living your dream of working from home. After weeks or months of getting started, getting settled, getting going, getting stressed, pressed and depressed, you look around one day and wonder, "Am I completely NUTZ?!!" Well, if you find yourself wearing the same sweatsuit for the third day in a row..... if the answering machine is screening all your calls and you're putting off returning them until "after Oprah"....if the kids are turning to Rover for nurturing....and you have a Twinkie in each hand (plus one hidden in your desk)...then it's *definitely* time to regroup!

Schedule a staff meeting with yourself and.... Check your basic assumptions:

Does anybody want what I'm selling?

(Don't tell me THIS question hasn't tortured you by now...) Well, what made you think so in the first place? If they're buying it from anybody, you've still got a chance. If it's never been done before, it may take longer but it's still possible. If you just don't have enough customers, well, that's an answer of a sort...but the question may be about your marketing rather than the size of your market. Better find out which: it's called research. ;-)

Does anybody else CARE that I'm trying to run a business here?!

Do your friends and family act as if you should always be available to them, or can take care of errands and chores, because you're "at home"? Do your office supplies and tools disappear? Do you get stuck on the phone longer than you wish? Guess who needs to set some boundaries....

What about your "home team" (those people closest to you), and the others you expect to help you be successful such as customers, advisors and professionals YOU utilize: Do they know what business you're in? Do they know you want customers? Pretty basic, huh?...well, don't assume they know how to help! Guess who needs to get marketing materials to all these folks so they CAN help appropriately... Remember: even The Lone Ranger had Tonto and a horse.

What was I THINKING of, anyway?!

Well, you had something in mind, didn't you? A business that would make a profit, provide a product or service that would be useful, a lifestyle that would be humane....? Get back to ground with the basic assumptions you had when you chose to start a business, to work from home. Chances are, your "To Do" list is overwhelming your "I Want To" list; everything is a chore and passion has left the building.

And keep these things in mind to keep your sanity intact:

Set reasonable expectations:

• The house may have to get (and stay) messier than you would prefer.
  
• It may take a while to get business (and longer to make a profit).
  
• You may not get as much work done in one day as you think you should.
  
• Others may have to pick up some of the chores you've always done.
  
• You don't have to personally do everything related to your business.

Set reasonable boundaries:

• Put first things first (know what is important and set priorities).
  
• You DO have a REAL JOB; respect this so that others will.
  
• Your office equipment and supplies are REAL TOOLS (give 'em their own).
  
• Be clear about when you are WORKING and when you are not.
  
• Stay on task and on track with small, do-able goals; celebrate small successes.

Learn all you can:

• About your chosen work;
  
• About running a business;
  
• About working from home;
  
• About taking care of yourself.

Connect with others and get support:

• Join networking groups, trade associations, email lists;
  
• Hang out with your friends and non-work related groups;
  
• Get information from existing and potential customers, from advisors.
  
• Ask for help, listen to suggestions, then make up your own mind. (trust yourself!)

Make time for yourself, your family, and your friends:

• Schedule time with them - and keep your promises!
  
• Schedule time for yourself and protect it.

Take care of yourself:

• Plan, prepare, and eat nutritious meals (on as regular a schedule as you can).
  
• Limit the caffeine and diet sodas; drink lots of water.
  
• Get regular exercise - out of the house if at all possible.
  
• Keep regular hours (no working until wee hours unless unavoidable - REALLY).
  
• Don't work too much; remember your priorities and why you wanted to work from home in the first place.
  
• Isolation may be great for concentration, but it can lead to depression. GET OUT and ABOUT!
  
• Feed your head... and don't forget to have some fun!

© 1998 Reta Jones Nicholson. All rights reserved, but you may pass this along provided the following message is included in its entirety: "Reta Jones Nicholson has helped people figure out what they want and how to get it for more than 30 years. Through her company, DreamMachine, she provides action planning coaching, classes and publications for individuals and groups.

She can be reached at 573/445-1895 or dream@computerland.net.
For more about her and her services, see:
www.fodreams.com/book/dreammachine.html
www.coachfederation.org"