NFIB

Reducing Fatigue When Self-Employed and Working at Home
04/ 03/ 2002


Perhaps you assumed that jumping from the corporate world to self-employment would allow more downtime, reducing fatigue and stress. But many find they put in even longer hours when self-employed, and still balance household chores, child care responsibilities and general family emergencies. In today's Workshop, Jeffrey Moses offers simple tips that minimize unnecessary tasks.

* People are less productive when they are fatigued. Energy levels vary from person to person, so limit the number of hours you work each week. If you remain energetic, you can maintain peak or near-peak performance month after month.

* Because individual needs vary, keep an eye on your employees to avoid burnout.

* It's tempting when self-employed to work through the lunch hour, late at night, on weekends and on holidays. But you and your employees need these natural times of rest. If you have trouble stopping, schedule rest periods just as you would schedule business appointments. Write them down in your appointment calendar and stick to them.

* If you must put in longer hours for special projects, cut back on hours later until you recoup your energy. If you continue to work without lightening your load, it will catch up with you later.

* Consider hiring a house cleaning service. Cleaners relieve your household duties so that you can concentrate on your business.

* Many switch to self-employment to avoid a draining commute. Work-related errands can be equally as tiring, however.

1. Consolidate trips to the store, so that you go only once a week. Keep detailed shopping lists so that you are organized in the supply store aisles.

2. Order pick-ups when using overnight shipping instead of driving to the site every day. The extra cost may be worth it if you save time and energy.

3. Consider using in-town courier services instead of driving important material yourself. Many times, customers will pay for the expense.

4. Always try to arrange car-pooling for your children. If you can share responsibility for driving to school, you could add many hours of productive work time to each month.

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02.23.00

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