Ok! I'm on a 15-minute break, but just wanted to share--

Below, I have read several posts about being productive and increasing line counts. This morning, I purposely closed down my e-mail (where usually it is running in the background and when incoming mail arrives, it notifies me and I'm checking it throughout the day), and I purposely did not come to this forum (which as my routine, throughout the day I'm going back and forth reading and posting). I actually started typing at 6:15 a.m. At 10:00 a.m. I have 1090 lines already. I know now where my time has been going, and will from this point on try and discipline myself as to checking e-mails and getting on-line wasting time. Just thought I'd share that bit of info.

The messages you are viewing are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select the boards given in left menu

Find out how this entrepreneurial mom really feels about running a business from home.

I created an entire business just so I could be a work-at-home mom. But is it a blessing or a curse? It depends on which day you ask me. Let me tell you what I really think.

I hate being a work-at-home mom because:

No one respects that I'm actually at work. My husband, friends and family still call me throughout the day and expect me to be able to talk on the phone even if it's my precious work time.

My children are almost more tortured having me work at home because throughout the day, I'm constantly having to tell them, "Not now, honey. I have to work". (If I worked at a "real" office, I'd only have to say good-bye once during the day.)

When I'm on the phone with an important client, my child almost always comes in whining, pulling on my clothes or knocking over my pencil holder. If my husband or nanny manages to keep them out, I undoubtedly hear them whining or crying and then I'm tortured because I know I could calm them down.

My office is often a mess and important papers are covered in crayon scratchings because I'll let my children do almost anything in my office just to get another minute on e-mail.

My e-mails and phone conversations are incredibly brief so I can just get my point across, but now everyone thinks I'm rude and abrupt.

I wake up to start work at 5:00 a.m. so I can work alone while my family sleeps. And then my 5-year-old decides to wake up early and join me. So I set him up on the computer playing "Dora The Explorer" so I can get some more work done. I try to focus as I type up some e-mails, but I can't really work for two consecutive minutes because he keeps needing my help.

I've done live radio interviews from my home only to be embarrassingly interrupted by the barking of my dog.

And at the end of the day, I realize there is no end of the day, because my office never leaves me. Most of us work from the time we wake up until our heads hit the pillow. But who are we kidding? We're even working then!

I love being a work-at-home mom because:

I get to be with my kids from the time they wake up until they go to sleep at night.

I didn't miss out on their first steps or their first words.

I can drop work any time and take my kids to the park without having to ask anyone's permission.

My kids get to see me work and see that I get joy and stimulation out of being productive. I like to believe I'm a good role model for them.

My daughter can see that you can have it all: a career, a family and happiness.

As I write this at 6:00 a.m., I can look over at the video baby monitor and see my sweet baby sleeping happily.

I get to decide when I go to work, when I eat and when I take a break, and no one's watching a clock but me.

When I go out for a meeting, I can also squeeze in some personal errands and not have to worry about a boss disapproving of my long lunch.

I can wear my pajamas all day long and no one ever has to know!

I no longer have to sit in a car to commute, which automatically gives me an extra two hours per day, which adds up to a whopping extra 21 days in my year!

My work is my home, and my home is my work, which can be a benefit for the write-off's alone! (Ask your accountant.)

Now, perhaps if you measured my two lists, the hate list might actually be longer. But the perks of working from home are invaluable. At the end of the day, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. But boy, it sure would be nice if my friends and family realized that I really am working!

than a hand... and sure enough I did. A few years ago I fell off the top of a ladder and as I was falling, which only took about 5 seconds, my MT survival instincts took over and I stuck my foot out to protect my hands. Three surgeries later I was back at work with a cast on my right leg from ankle to thigh. Believe me, you'll adjust to using your left foot. I did it for almost a year.

and do something else this year, it doesn't have to be forever. Also, I think you should tell your mother the problem.

You can join me, I have an evil stepmother and nobody would pick me up from the Amtrak and now the tickets are sold out and it's too late to go for the holidays. On the other hand, I find dealing with it so draining that I'm off the hook this year and can do whatever I want, I won't be spending my holiday on the freeway. Good luck!

You sound like such a rightious person, hope you don't need help some day. Again I would much rather have her collect some unemployment until she can find a job that truly suits her than just have to take any job. You can say the employer pays it but it is a 'Undefined benefit" that we all have when we work enough hours and if someone lays you off or fires you for cause as long as you weren't stealing or doing something against the rules. Much better than the welfare fraud, the illegals coming in and taking our tax dollars after having only been here for a few weeks/months. At lease she has been in the workforce contributing to society and her taxes. So get off her back, give her some space so she can find a job that suits her and doesn't have to take the first one that comes along. And no, I am a MTSO and cannot collect unemployment so I am not personally involved in this.

a part that is always, always the same and that will be one macro. The next sentence might be the same, except for right or left and I'll make that a separate macro.

I used to do lots of cataract surgeries and 99.9% of the time the only thing that changed was the eye having the surgery and the diopter of the lens so in that case I could do the entire report, one for left, one for right, and then insert a stop for the diopter so I could fill it in.

The doctor's didn't even dictate a complete report so you didn't have to read through the report anyway to make sure they weren't changing something. They would just dictate right, right, right, xx diopters.