Keeping Work And Family Separate When you're working out of your house, maintaining the boundaries may be hard but it's not impossible.

You don't have to be a miracle worker to keep family andbusiness separate. Here are some simple tips to keep the two fromcrossing over:

• Close the door to your office while you're working.This is a sign to family members not to bother you.
• Close the door to your office when you've finishedworking for the day. This will keep you from rushing into youroffice at all hours of the night.
• Don't let your children answer your business phone.You may think it's cute; customers won't
• Make sure children know you are not o be bothered whileyou're "at the office."
• Don't answer your business phone after hours. Yourrecorded answering message should state your business hours.
• Don't do household chores during businesshours.
• Schedule short breaks in your workday.

Excerpted from Starting a Home-based Business