If you’re thinking about working from home or questioning your decision to work from home, consider these pros and cons.

Pro: Your overhead is low and you can furnish your office however you wish.
Con: You’ll need to carve an office out of living space in your home.

Pro: You can set your own hours.
Con: You have to be disciplined and keep some type of schedule. By disciplining yourself and getting on a regular schedule, you can still be productive while enjoying the benefits of working from home.

Pro: Associates or other business professionals won’t be nearby to bother you.
Con: You risk feeling isolated, “out of the loop,” and even lonely. Consider meeting regularly with other small business owners for coffee or lunch.

Pro: You don’t have to waste time traveling to meet with clients or waiting for clients to arrive.
Con: Clients will see how you live and work, unless you find a way to set your office apart from the rest of your home. French doors, a folding screen or even room-dividing bookcases can help.

Pro: No commute so you save time, energy, and money.
Con: You can’t escape your work, especially if your home office is in your bedroom.

Pro: You can merge your personal and professional lives.
Con: Trying to juggle both personal and professional obligations at the same time can be a challenge.

What made you decide to work from home or what’s keeping you from working from home?

source: Today's Innovative Woman

Years ago when my older son came home from his first day of Kindergarten and I asked him what he’d learned, he said, “My brain is full!” After attending a few small business conferences this year, I understand how he felt.

This week I’m speaking at the Today’s Innovative Woman Success Summit and I can’t wait to interact with other business owners. When I spoke at their conference two years ago in Los Angeles, I was thrilled at how much I learned at the information-packed sessions ranging from how to market your business to growing your online presence.

Not only did I learn great tips and strategies from the speakers, I picked up a few tips from the attendees as well. This was no group of slackers!

Before you go to your next live conference, consider the following tips.

Consider the benefits.

Make sure that the conference you want to attend will help you grow your business. Unless you’re attending a conference that’s in town, going to an out-of-town conference can be expensive and may not be worth your time and money. Even if it is in town, the conference should be worth the time you’ll need to take off from your business.

Take notes…plenty of notes.

Whether you use an iPad, a legal pad or your laptop to take notes, be consistent. When you use one place to take notes, you don’t have to waste time searching for them when you need to refer to the notes again a few months later. When I was a speaker and an attendee at a conference a few months ago, I left with pages and pages of valuable notes and strategies that have helped me take my business to the next level.

Start a to-do page.

At one of the conferences I attended, the event planner provided each of us with a detailed booklet that featured each speaker’s bio and room to take notes. I took notes on the speaker’s pages. On a separate to-do page, I listed action steps. Taking notes is one thing…putting the information to use is another. The day after the conference, I highlighted the key to-do items and added them to my to-do list and overall project list.

Network, network, network.

During each break, I make a point to meet at least 3-4 new people. During one conference, they held a contest for the person who collected the most business cards (I lost).

At one conference, almost every person I met was prepared with a one-sentence “elevator pitch.” When I asked someone what she did, she’d answer, “I work with (insert type of business) to help them (insert three benefits).” Brilliant! In one sentence I learned what they did and what type of people they helped.

I’ve “virtually” attended plenty of Webinars, and at times I walk away from my home office with tips I can use. But nothing beats the energy, enthusiasm and inspiration that a group of successful entrepreneurs (both male and female) can provide at a live conference. The next time a Webinar invitation hits your e-mail, think twice and consider going to a live conference instead.

What did you learn from your last business conference?

1. Bathe daily and try to change your shirt and underwear at least every other day.

2. Clean up your office once a week (even if you just remove coffee mugs and food wrappers).

3. Limit your work hours…you need to sleep.

4. If you have a deadline and you want to stay focused, turn off your e-mail alert.

5. If your home office is a mess, meet with clients somewhere else. Clients may say they don’t mind your mess, but they do, and they may try to figure out how to fire you.

6. If possible, don’t let your kids use your computer. If you get a virus, you can’t work. If they get a virus, they can’t play computer games. Do the math.

7. Make sure your mute or hold button works. Sometimes they don’t, which means you may have some explaining to do.

8. Don’t answer your business line if your kids are screaming or your dogs are barking. Caller ID and a hold or mute button can only do so much.

9. Set ground rules with your friends and family and let them know that even though you work from home, you’re not available to wait for the cable guy or plumber.

10. Don’t use a chair from your dining room or kitchen as your desk chair. Instead, invest in an ergonomically correct chair.

11. Teach your kids to leave your office supplies alone. In fact, buy them their own set.

12. If you’re (literally) working naked, please wear underwear while sitting at your desk. ‘Nuff said.

What rules do you follow for working from home?

Some people forget that not everyone who works from home is an entrepreneur. Along with those of us who work for ourselves, corporate sales reps and other corporate employees work from home full-time, too.

Another group of people who work from home are telecommuters, those who work from home a few days a week instead of working in a corporate office every day. Whether you used to work from home and then had to go back to the corporate world, or you want a more flexible schedule, or you want to avoid a daily commute, telecommuting may be the perfect solution for you. Before you approach your boss about telecommuting, ask yourself a few questions.

Are you computer literate?

Telecommuters can work anywhere, and at all hours, simply by having the right equipment. When you telecommute you’ll need the basics: a computer, an All-in-One machine, and a separate business line (or you can use your cell phone) with voice mail. While you may not have an in-house IT department to deal with any computer problems, you can hire a tech support company to help you.

Do you have room to work?

No matter what size your home may be, there’s always room for a home office. Think outside of the home office box and use a spare bedroom, guest room, dining room, or any other space where you know you’ll be able to work. Whether you use a laptop or a desktop computer, keep in mind that you won’t need much space to work.

Do you have a childcare plan? 

Working from home isn’t a substitute for childcare, especially when your boss expects you to be productive between 9-5. So if you have kids you’ll need to hire help, enlist a family member to babysit, or find a daycare center you trust.

Do you know what you’re supposed to do?

Consider whether you have a clear job description. Do you know what your boss expects from you? Depending on your boss, you won’t have the personal contact with him or her that you did before — which can be a good thing — so you need to set clear deadlines and set up weekly face-to-face meetings.

Are you a self-starter?

Anyone who works from home will agree that it’s easy to get distracted. You don’t have the refrigerator, laundry and even your family around to keep you from working when you’re in a corporate office. When you work from home, you need to be able to motivate yourself to start working each day and to continue working throughout the day.

How organized are you?

Having basic organizing skills from time management to project management are important when you work from home. If you’re disorganized, it’s up to you to organize your office and avoid wasting time looking for supplies, papers and anything else you need. Learning new organizing habits could be a matter of survival.

Telecommuting isn’t for everyone, but if you’re a self-starter and can work without being supervised all day, telecommuting may be the next step for you.

Would telecommuting work for you? Do you know someone who telecommutes?

Unlike the list of e-mail mistakes I published in another post, here’s a list of things you can do to ensure that others enjoy, not dread, your e-mails.

1. Use bcc.

Some people don’t realize that bcc means blind carbon copy, which means don’t make everyone on your e-mail list mad by listing their email addresses in your mass mailings. In the “To” section, enter your email address and in the “bcc” section, enter everyone else’s addresses. When you send a mass e-mail, no one else’s address shows up except for yours.

2. Click send once.

I’m one of the most impatient people I know. When an elevator seems to take too long to get to my floor, I push the button over and over to make the elevator arrive faster (which by the way, doesn’t work even though it makes me feel better to think it does). The same theory doesn’t work when pushing send. Instead of making your e-mail arrive sooner, pushing send several times makes the same email land in someone’s mailbox many times.

3. Don’t include attachments in e-mails to strangers.

If someone has no idea who you are, he or she probably won’t feel comfortable downloading your attachment. If you’ve ever had a computer virus, you know what I mean. It takes having to pay someone one time to cure a virus to realize it’s not worth downloading a suspicious file. If possible, include the information from the attachment in the body of your e-mail and then include the attachment. Even if the person doesn’t open the attachment, they’ll see the information you want them to read.

4. Limit the number of “funny” e-mails you send to friends and clients.

A joke e-mail that makes you laugh all day isn’t necessarily funny to everyone else. In fact, some online jokes can be more annoying than they are funny. If you send too many of those types of e-mails, when you do have an important message, the person you’ve sent it to may delete it without reading it.

If you’re not doing the things on this list on a regular basis, keep in mind that it’s not too late to change your e-mailing ways.

What do you avoid doing when you send e-mails?

When I started working from home, sales people showed up at my house and called my personal line. Renting a mailbox stopped the drop-by sales calls and made me seem more professional at a time when working from home wasn’t as widely accepted as it is now. In fact, no one knew I worked from home until my first home office book came out — it was sort of a dead giveaway.

While most of us get more e-mails than snail mail, there are still some things you can’t get electronically. Companies send me products every week to review, so I need to have a place to receive the packages. Sales reps need to have a place to receive marketing materials and samples from the company’s home office.

If you’ve been trying to decide whether you should rent a mailbox, consider the advantages and disadvantages.

The advantages of renting a mailbox:

• You’ll protect your privacy because prospects and clients won’t have your home address.

• The mail center  (I use The UPS Store ) will accept packages for you, so you don’t have to worry about missing a delivery. Fed Ex and UPS won’t deliver to PO Boxes, which could be a problem if you receive several packages each week.

• You can keep your business and personal mail (and life) separate

• If you move (within the city), you won’t have to change your address or anything that has your business address on it.

The disadvantages of renting a mailbox:

• You have to drive to pick up your mail. Rent a mailbox near your home and you’ll have a short commute.

• It’s not free — you have to pay a monthly fee to rent a mailbox. I pay one year at a time to save a few dollars each month.

• Sometimes you have to wait in line for your mail but you can use that time to check your e-mail on your handheld.

Renting a mailbox isn’t for everyone, but if you weigh the advantages against the disadvantages, you’ll make the decision much easier.

Where do you get your mail delivered?

Between the lack of a set schedule, no boss looking over our shoulder, and personal tasks screaming for our attention (including laundry), our homes are loaded with home office traps. Before you fall into these traps, it’s important to recognize them. Start with these four common traps.

1. Working overtime

Without a commute and a home office that’s only a few seconds away, it’s easy to work day and night. You may even go to your home office and think you’re going to work for an hour, and then three hours later you’re still sitting at your desk.

I’m a reformed workaholic. Before I had kids, I worked seven days a week. Finally I burned out and took a week off. During that time I reprioritized my life, cut back my hours, and actually became more productive. Set reasonable hours and not only will your family thank you, your mind and body will thank you as well.

To read the rest of my guest post on Success Your Way, click here.

Guest post by Amanda DiSilvestro

Let’s face it—not everyone understands what it means to work in a home office. They may say that they understand you’re working, but the distractions still don’t stop.

You may have a husband who works nights, a girlfriend still living the sixteen-hours-a-week college life, or kids who are out of school for the summer. If you’re dealing with this, you might be surprised to know that this is actually quite common.

Naturally, someone working in a home office will say something light-hearted to the person bothering them and hope it stops. Unfortunately for many this simply isn’t enough. They may try to hold back for a few days, but sooner or later it’s back to the old tricks and you’re back to being distracted. There comes a time when enough is enough and you really need to set something straight with your friends and family.

Consider these top 5 ways to tell your family and friends you need space:

1.  Tell them what you need to accomplish the following day at work

Many people simply do not think of working from home as a real job. It’s unfortunate, but it happens. If you find that someone won’t stop distracting you, let him or her know what you need to get done. I would generally tell my boyfriend the night before work what I needed to get done the next day. When I list off the many, complicated things I have to accomplish and explain that this is why I cannot be distracted, he backs off.

2.  Set consequences or rewards for anyone distracting you

This tactic generally works best for children, but some adults may react. If you can tell someone what will happen or what won’t happen if he or she doesn’t leave you alone, you will put the consequences on him or her. Instead of saying, “this won’t happen for me” or “I need to get this done,” you are making the conversation about the other person. They will have a better idea about how what they are doing is indirectly hurting them as much as it’s hurting you.

3.  Set aside time when you can interact and talk with the person

Instead of taking sporadic breaks during the day, take them at specific times. This way anyone who is living with you will know exactly when they will be able to talk with you. If you always take a 15-minute break at 3:30, then your kids or spouse will know they need to wait until that time to talk with you. Although this won’t always be possible, you will find that forming your work around your breaks isn’t too difficult.

4.  Use a firm tone when telling someone they are distracting you

It is always a good idea to try out a nice light-hearted conversation the first time or two, but there comes a time when you need to stand firm and let someone know you really mean business (literally). Some people may have a hard time taking someone seriously who doesn’t seem serious themselves, so you need to have a firm tone and let them know you are working. You don’t need to be mean or scary, but just have a firm, serious tone. You will be surprised how far this can go.

5.  Send them somewhere for the day so you can get your work done

This only works if it is a one-day situation every once and a while, but it’s an idea nonetheless. If your spouse or kids have the day off and you do not, it might be best to just get them out of the house. If you know that when they are home you will be distracted, tell your kids to get a pizza (that you buy), or buy a video game you know your husband has wanted to play. It’s not good to get in the habit of doing this all the time, but it will work on those days when you just can’t get someone to leave you alone.

The most important thing to remember is that you do not need to feel bad for having to go the extra mile to stop distractions. Once you try being polite first, you have no choice but to employ some of these tactics and stop the constant interruptions for good. Your family and friends will understand, even if they are a bit taken aback at first.

Have you ever had a hard time getting through to family and friends who distract you during work hours? What has worked for you?

Amanda DiSilvestro is a writer on topics ranging from social media to how to start your own business. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including VoIP phone service to small businesses and entrepreneurs for the leading business directory, Business.com.

If you’re feeling the wear and tear of sitting in front of a computer all day, there are a few simple changes you can make.

Use an adjustable office chair

If you’re reading this blog post while sitting in a chair from your dining room or kitchen set, considering making a chair change today. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a chair that adjusts to the right height and reduces the strain on your body. Make sure that whatever chair you buy has a few options including:

1) Lumbar support to reduce the strain on your lower back

2) A waterfall seat where the front edge of the seat is rounded to help you prevent any problems with circulation and to reduce the compression of nerves behind your knees

3) Seat height and back height adjustments

4) Tilt mechanisms and tilt lock to reduce strain and fatigue of your leg muscles

5) Tension control that adjusts to your body weight for easier reclining. (Steelcase chairs are reasonably priced and usually fit the decor of any home office.)

Avoid back strain

Keep frequently-used equipment and supplies within reach to avoid straining your back. Rather than play a game of Twister to grab what you need, store items logically and within reach. You can add shelves above or near your desk, or a desktop holder to keep supplies nearby.

Choose the right lighting

A good way to reduce eyestrain and fatigue is to use one or several types of lighting. Your options include ambient or general lighting, natural lighting, and task lighting. The type of lighting you use depends on the tasks you’ll be doing. Use one or a combination of these types of lighting to give you the right amount of light for your home office.

Find the right tools

You’ll reduce the risk of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome by using an ergonomic wrist rest, mouse, and adjustable and articulating keyboard. Wrist and mouse rests — Fellowes is one of my favorite brands — are made from foam-like and gel materials, and are available in interesting colors and patterns. If your monitor is too low, use a monitor riser to bring it to a more comfortable level.  The first clue that your monitor or laptop are at the wrong height is when you feel a constant pain in your neck.

Along with making ergonomic changes to your home office, take breaks throughout the day to give your wrist (and your entire body) a break from being in the same position for a long period of time. After all, working from home is supposed to be pleasurable, not painful.

What do you do to make working from home more comfortable?

source: Jen SFO-BCN

Working from home can be lonely.

When I started my first home-based business, I was thrilled to see or hear from anyone, including phone solicitors and my neighbors. I was lonely.

I knew I had reached rock bottom when I looked forward to seeing the UPS driver every few days!

Now that my business has grown quite a bit from those early years, I could use a little more quiet time.

If you’re just starting your business or have been working from home for years, don’t get discouraged if you feel lonely. It happens to all of us. Consider these four ways to overcome loneliness.

To read the rest of my guest post on Success Your Way, click here.