So you have decided to take the plunge and start your own business. You have stars in your eyes and grand visions of working in your jeans, having the time and flexibility to have “lunch” with friends, and picking up the kids from school every day.

SOUNDS ATTRACTIVE, DOESN’T IT?
The reality, however, can often be quite different. Many people find that they have left a tough manager at their old job only to work themselves even harder! There comes a point in the life of every new entrepreneur when they question their own sanity as they wrestle with the blurry boundaries between home and life.

You can strike the balance by managing your time in a way that is flexible and practical but still allows you to be productive and generate vital cash flow. These six easy steps will help you keep your sanity while starting your own business or consultancy:

CREATE A SUPPORTIVE WORKSPACE
If you’re working from home, it’s vital that you create a separate and distinct work area that allows you to work without interruption. For example, it may be necessary to convert the corner of your living room, the side of the garage or a bedroom to create your office space. As your business grows, so will your need for space and clearly defined limits on working hours.

ALLOW BEAUTY
A supportive workspace should also include beauty. Candles, favorite artwork or images, a bowl of fresh flowers, or music are all part of developing an environment that allows you to perform at your best.

PLAN YOUR WORK WEEK
Just as you may have used a calendar when you worked in the corporate world to schedule your time and account for your activities, you can also allocate your time when you’re self-employed. The best way to help your unconscious mind get into effective mode is to clearly define habits and patterns of work.

For example, plan start times, workouts, and meal breaks at the same time every day. Schedule regular sessions for strategic thinking, planning, research, and training. Spend all your time on administrative tasks like billing, answering inquiries, and sending thank you cards. This will prevent you from falling into the trap of jumping from one task to the next and feeling like you haven’t accomplished anything at the end of the day.

TREAT TECHNOLOGY LIKE YOUR FRIEND
One of the best ways to make the most of your time when you’re working for yourself is to use technology to your advantage. Although you can’t beat face-to-face communication, reserve it for only the biggest client and prospect meetings. For the rest of the time, use the phone, fax, email, or teleconference to stay in touch as quickly and efficiently as possible. If you carry a PDA, use it to keep in touch with urgent emails and appointments when you’re traveling or out of the office. Treat your business like a business, not a hobby, and be sure to install separate business phone, fax, and Internet lines. The days of the home phone/fax are over.

KEEP THE WEATHER ZAPPERS AT BAY
Your friends and family may assume that you are suddenly available and approachable now that you are working for yourself. A good idea is to call a family meeting and openly discuss how your business will affect everyone. Sometimes those closest to us are the ones who most need boundaries to be defined. If you still have trouble with this, you may want to work one day a week out of the office, where you won’t be disturbed as easily.

OUTSOURCE YOUR LESS PROFITABLE ACTIVITIES
Possibly the hardest but most valuable step you can take to keep your sanity when starting your own business is to hire help for your lowest-paying activities. Hiring a bookkeeper, virtual assistant, or housekeeper to perform these activities frees you up to do the higher-paying tasks you came into business for.

Working for yourself has many rewards and benefits if you develop good habits early on and set yourself up for success.