Keeping your business and relationship on track

When to say 'no'
It's easy to take on extra work with the pressure of making your own income. So set yourself a ceiling of time each month and don't commit to work above this level. Telling a potential contractor or client that you are too busy to take on a job will only show them you are in demand!

Balancing business and family
After 12 years in banking and with her two girls at school and playgroup, Paula Burls decided to follow her green fingers and started her own gardening business, Burls Blooming Borders. Paula has her own timetable to make sure her marriage and family are also nurtured.

'For special evenings we make sure no-one else is around and we book time together. We tend to stay in, cook a nice meal and watch a film. We got to the point where we had to sit down and make some quality time together as this rule tends to drift.

'The gardening is kept strictly to school hours and we make sure we have a quality family day out every two or three weeks. I do work in the school holidays, but I take a day off for every week the kids are off.

'My rule is to never book extra work as I do not want to work outside of school hours and I plan my diary around the school week. I am flexible and my own boss. I don't get that guilty feeling if I am off sick as I am not letting anyone down. I work through recommendations and friends, so there is always a mutual trust.'

Take a breather
When planning a work schedule with school runs and nursery pick-ups thrown in, don't be tempted to over-book. Life for self-employed women or those working from home can easily become a constant treadmill.

Working mum Gillian Nissam says: 'If you have 'set hours' make sure that you build in time for a break during the day to do personal things; banking, going to the shops or the gym, and be firm with yourself about not doing these personal things in your 'work time'. It may be that you need to let family and friends know not to call you at certain times of the day.'

Treat your home office as a 'work' office Workers in a conventional office wind down at the end of the working day, before logging off and leaving the building. Apply this sort of 'close down' mentality to your working day at home. Gillian Nissam explains: 'My husband gets me to stick a 'do not enter' sign on my study door when I finish for the day. At the end of your working day, don?t leave your computer on and close the door to your home office. By properly defining your working day, you'll feel much fresher when you're back at your desk the next morning.'

Diarise and visualise
Block out work bookings in a diary to give yourself a visual plan of your week. Fill in your family commitments and avoid work tasks during this time. You'll stay organised and take on a manageable amount of work.

Carry a portable means of organising your time. Electronic organisers, Palm Pilots and calendars on mobile phones can be quickly updated when you are out and about. Don't forget to 'hot sync' new information every day to your computer or paper diary. You don't want to double book that important school play or 'me time' pedicure.

Get out there
People are naturally sociable and working from home for days without human contact can often feel isolating. If you have a heavy week working at home or for yourself, make up for it in your free time. Take the kids to sports practice, have a business meeting in a coffee shop or eat out with your partner for a change of scenery.