How to work from home as a home baker
How to work from home as a home baker
You have no idea how many times I hear people say “Oh, I could never work at home. I’d never get anything done!!” But ‘how to work from home as a home baker’ works well if you set up a few ground rules.
And now current circumstances dictate that a whole lot of people are learning how to work from home. Those who did not ever expect to!
The top five things to keep in mind to balance work and life are:
- Attitude
- Working spaces
- Schedule
- Family
- Customers
Have a ‘working attitude’ when working from home
Attitude:
Your commute to work means only going from your bedroom to your working space. But this doesn’t mean you don’t have to get dressed. You wouldn’t show up at the office outside of your home in your pajamas would you? Give your work the respect it deserves by dressing the part. It’s okay to skip the full make up but at least get dressed.
Review your working spaces at home
Working spaces:
Home office
Your home office doesn’t need to be anything fancy. It can be a desk in your guest room or a laptop on the formal dining room. Pick somewhere rarely used like a table you only use on major holidays or a quiet spot in your bedroom. The key is setting yourself up in an organized manner and getting your head in “work mode” when you are in that space. There is always paperwork relating to a home bakery. It’s important to recognize that space as your work space. This will help keep your mind on the admin “work-work” needing to be done.
Kitchen
Then there is the design and creation work completed in your kitchen.
How will you clear the decks to start work? The how to work from home question arises when combining family life and a home baking business too. Have a place in a cupboard for business ingredients and equipment. As well as completed work waiting to be collected.
You may have already had a kitchen inspection. The Inspector will have advised what to organise for the best.
Just keep things separate and organised.
You may need to revised your work from home schedule to suit better
Schedule:
Schedule your work time and stick to it. Working from home brings with it the luxury of setting your own hours.
Perhaps it’s a commitment to dedicate 3,4,5+ hours of your day to strictly focusing on work related tasks. This is better than chipping away at things as you try to wear your work hat and dealing with home tasks at the same time. Your dedicated time can be any time of day or night; whichever works best for you and your family.
Just as you would when working away from home, be sure to take scheduled breaks, including lunch. Keep a structure for your work time to avoid getting too loose with your focus on work time and home time. The two can easily blend together and create all sorts of havoc if you don’t follow your structure.
Remember to make time for your family too!
Family:
Talk with your family about the importance of recognizing when you are working.
Many people working from home find this the hardest obstacle to overcome. But family time needs to be navigated for a smooth working environment, but it can be done.
It may take some change on their part to realize you’re serious about working from home. Your structure may be affected a little bit at first. But by working together to establish the boundaries, you CAN have the best of both worlds.
How will calls from potential customers effect your home life?
Customers:
When you work from home and your business hours vary. This can lead to customers making contact during your non working hours.
How do you establish and manage your availability? And how intrusive into your home life you want to allow your clients to be is up to you.
If you have a ‘business only’ telephone line, mute or send to voicemail during non working times. Ensure your outgoing message is welcoming and clear with no background noise recorded. Tell your customers you will get back to them as soon as possible. Or ask them to drop you a message to an email or Social Media app.
How to work from home – in 5 short tips!
So, remember these five tips and soon you can be enjoying the best of both worlds!
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