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Welcome to Part 3. In this final installment, let’s look at going back to basics and dumping the guilt.

You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

Get a new hobby
If you run a business that was once your hobby, you'll quickly find that it doesn't relax you in the same way it used to. I think about jewelry constantly, so it's hardly a break when I pick up my tools. Find something else you enjoy, whether it's a new craft, a new exercise, or even just reading. For me, photography is the new hobby. Sure, I photograph during the work day to add new product online, but when I'm in hobby mode, I get out of the house and go somewhere. Even if I just walk around the block taking pictures of flowers, it does the job. Without an outlet, there's a big risk that you'll come to despise what you originally loved. Once you're running a full-fledged business it's not realistic to believe that you'll obtain the same pleasure from it that you once did, but by having a new hobby you don't feel so tied to it.

A new hobby also means when it's time to take a break or a vacation, you have something to do! Unless I’m going somewhere that I think I’ll make good on-the-spot sales or orders, I don’t take my tools and beads. If I do, I end up spending the entire time repairing my friends’ jewelry for free, or launching into a project that means I don’t relax and just enjoy myself.

Remember why you started your business: You’re doing what you love
When I say I run a home jewelry business, you'd be surprised how many people assume that means I get to "sit around and make jewelry". “What a fun business”, they exclaim. What people forget is that as soon as an income is linked to the task it becomes Work. We pick up hobbies like jewelry because they are relaxing and a great creative outlet, but like anything else it loses its gleam once you feel the need to produce. It's like the difference between loving to garden and becoming a gardener. The task is still wonderful, but it's not the same as doing it when you feel like it. I love designing and creating jewelry, but I feel the burn-out sometimes as much as anyone.

When I start feeling like that, I take a day off, and then remind myself of why I’m doing this:

• I love making jewelry
• I love the idea of being hugely successful one day through my own hard work
• I can spend more time with my family, and set flexible schedules
• I get to be my own boss
• I can set my own goals
• I can watch television while I work…okay, maybe that one’s not so important.

Finally, Create a Guiltless Work Environment
The biggest moral suck for home workers is the guilt. When you skip work, or stay up late, or don’t feel like you’re getting anywhere, there’s a huge sense of guilt. The flip-side of being responsible for your own success is that you are also responsible when you don’t succeed. That’s a terrible cycle to get stuck in. I often feel guilty about what I could be accomplishing if I just focused a little better, or tried a little harder, but the panic that comes from that usually results in a working binge for a day followed by a week of burn-out. If you can learn to let go of that, the ride is going to be much smoother. As I said in the last post, there’s always more to do, so set some real goals and priorities and use the tips I laid out and start trying to ditch the guilt!

Thank you so much for reading! I hope I've provided some new tips. I'd love to hear how you handle working from home, whatever business your in.