Yes, I work from home and have for over 10 years. I am also a salaried instructor for bloggers on Mastering Time Management and Setting SMART Goals. You have to schedule your time effectively. You need to make your home business a priority too. I mean one thing I see again and again is people who work from home but treat their career or business like a hobby. Any little thing comes up and they are out the door. Believe me I could not do that in corporate America and neither could they. I am not saying that emergencies won't arrise but what is an emergency and what is a distraction are 2 things that you need to know.You also need to write this down. YOU CANNOT HAVE IT ALL! YOU WILL GET OUT OF BALANCE.What that means is that we are getting a message from society we can have it all and do it all and we cannot. We have to make sacrifices and we have to give some things up. I don't watch TV, TV does nothing for me. That time is put to better use, there are things I miss but I know in the long run what I am doing benefits my family and myself.I could go on and on but there are a lot of elements and you will have times you feel you are missing out on things with your kids or spouse but make that time you do have quality time.

Yes, I work from home and there is always that guilt!  I don't keep a strict schedule but I have general working hours all hours of the day!  I typically get my kids off to school, work a few hours then get my youngest lunch etc.  I usually take a few hours off for the afternoon/evening and then am back on the computer after the kids go to bed until around 12 pm.  I'm not always very efficient but I never miss a deadline.  I wish I could balance everything a bit better but I am still able to be there for my kids school events, volunteering and other things without sacrificing anything other than some sleep.  But I do still torn like I should be a better parent AND a better blogger.  There just isn't enough time in a day....

We all have the same 24 hours in a day, the difference is how we use those hours. I manage a team of marketing executives and I always have a few that tell me they do not understand why they are not seeing results because they are working 14 hours a day. So many say they are working when they may be in front of the computer but they are not working on income producing activities. The same is true for bloggers. When bloggers are starting out, they tend to take every and any opportunity that comes their way. They feel if they say no to someone or something that the opportunity will never come again. What is even worse is bloggers that work for free. I tell you now, if you ever want to be seen as a professional writer, social media influencer, brand ambassador etc. Never work for free. It is the same thing as someone asking a professional photographer to photograph their wedding because they are a friend. When you do not value your own services enough to charge for them you are sending a message loud and clear that you are not a professional.  Think about it...let's say you get a pitch someone has a new app, they tell you about their app and then say, I thought you would like to share this with your readers. Some bloggers just post that content right up. Why? You are going to get their content out there and blasted all over your social media channel for free?  Do not be afraid to write back. What is the blogger compensation for promotion of your app to my thousands of subscribers in your target market and promotion through my social media channels?  Some write back that they have no money, but you would be surprised how many come back with a number. The ones especially that are from PR agencies, if they still do not offer anything they will respect you and say, Oh I understand. I will keep you in mind when we have a budget. Just think do you think Jane from ABC Media is working for free? Then why should you.  Next make sure you spend your time on the right projects that are in line with your goals. If you miss a deadline for a project that will help you reach your goals by working on something that is not exactly a good fit you are shooting yourself in the foot. And if your kids complain you are working or missing this or that. Sit them down. Explain why you are working and let them know your goals. Then set a family reward for reaching some milestone and put it on a calendar or vision board. You will be surprised when your kids understand the benefit of your work and it is going toward something you can all enjoy they will start asking about your deadlines or whatever your work is and be your cheerleader instead of complaining.

Yes, I do most of my work from my computer. I write, produce & promote film & media projects. I'm not a big TV fan, but there are a few shows I watch. I set my work hours like office hours 8-5pm. I take a one hr lunch break where I stop working & relax with a show or movie. I don't make calls or answer emails, texts, etc outside of office hours. It's the only way I keep sane. I also don't conduct business on the weekend for the same reason. When I travel for work, it's different of course, but we generally try to keep our shooting, etc schedules down to 8 hr day. Of course there's always exceptions when needed.