When Your Work Schedule Changes

by Kori Rodley Irons | More from this Blogger

14 May 2007 09:14 AM

Sometimes, life can seem all about scheduling-especially when it comes to taking care of the myriad obligations of family, work, community, church, etc. I don't know about you, but I've found that just when I get everything really humming along in a manageable schedule, something changes and throws everything out of wack. Often, what changes is my work schedule!

For those of us who operate home-based business, we might have more control over our schedules than if we worked a more traditional job. This doesn't make us exempt, however. In fact, I find that taking on a new client or unforeseen changes in a project I'm working on can put a strain on my time management. Clients and customers who work in different time zones, as well as those who change their requests and needs make it necessary for me to re-evaluate scheduling. And, this creates a ripple effect into personal calendars, home life, etc.

Whenever possible, I find it easier to "phase in" a work schedule change-gradually build in the changes over a week or two. This gives me the chance to make adjustments to other parts of my life in order to accommodate. Of course, this isn't always possible or practical and I have to make instantaneous adjustments. Keeping other parts of my life-household, family, etc.-manageable and under control can give me the flexibility I need to adjust to a changing home business schedule. If the rest of my life feels chaotic or out of control, it makes even a small work schedule change seem overwhelming and daunting.

Expect that big changes will create some backlash while your family adjusts. If your work schedule changes and creates a situation where you have less time to spend on family-it is reasonable to expect that there could be some reaction. The same can happen if you suddenly have more time to spend on other things. I know my teenagers would rather I wasn't TOO available to be all up in their business-so when my work load lightens, I have to expect that they will have some ambivalent feelings about it.

See Also: Working From Home--Six Time Management Tips and Are Your Business Practices Saving Time or Wasting Time?

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