Join in if you are self-employed and work from home

Horace

Happy Easter everybody.

To get extra smilies - click on the more tag underneath the smilie list >>>>

I went to my ex's on Saturday and yesterday, came home today, went to see my parents on Sunday and was dressed to the nines just to prove to my mother I can wear nice clothes when I am in the mood - I even wore heels:eek: Mooched about mum's garden and helped aerate the lawn with my new heels:rolleyes: Tried to get dad to talk - its like getting blood out of a stone especially as he expects to hold a conversation with you and he's not wearing his hearing aid:rolleyes:

I came away from mum's yesterday with a box of homemade cakes, a stack of towels (some of which were brand new) a new pillow and some pillow covers (not pillowcases) - I think I shall have to go round there again and see what she gives me (I love it when she has a clear out).

Hope all is well with everybody - hello to newbies.:D

:easter_ba

Luckycharm_2

Happy easter everyone!

I have a daft question about tax and NI I was wondering if you could help me with. I've just read some good advice on another thread about setting up a DD for NI and putting 20% of my earnings after expenses into a savings account to pay the tax bill. I'm wondering if I should put these two amounts through the books as expenses? Or should I be using my drawings to pay them? Wouldn't that mean I'd be taxed on my tax?!?!

I'm as confused as ever. Thanks for any advice you can give.

Managed to resist eating an easter egg for breakfast but pretty sure it's on the menu for lunch.

tyllwyd

Your income tax & national insurance shouldn't be in your accounts as expenses - they are things that you personally have to pay rather than expenses of the business. Essentially it's the same as when you are employed - your employer gives you your salary and you have to pay tax & NI out of that. It's just that when you are employed they take the money immediately, but when you are self-employed the bill comes along later.

cheekymonkey20

Hey everyone have a good 4 days over easter?
I am going to visit my first customer on thursday woop... getting a nice £1195 to sort out his credit card and getting it written off. How GOOD IS THAT!
Also talking to another aquantence of myself who is in the same possistion so that they can clear theirs.
Had a okish weekend, going to inlaws today for dinner, gotta clean the flat and sort out my to do list for the rest of the week.
Another good thing is that i now have a credit score of 999 whooooppp!!! how great is that.
xxx

Ballymackeonan

Hi all -

The sun is shining here again, and my motivation to keep working is vanishing rapidly! I'm inclined to go for a good long walk in the park, need to work off the chocolate.... either that, or clean the windows...

The trouble is that, while I've got work to do, nothing is especially urgent, except the stuff I'm booked to do tomorrow. Hence the lack of motivation - I'm organised, but get much more so as deadlines approach!

tattycath

Hi all-I keep reading snippets as and when I've got time. My OH currently has premises for work...in another week he'll be working from home-mail order company. If anyone can give me any hints and tips how I can keep him motivated I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in anticipation.
Due to CCrunch and all we're having to cut costs etc (like everyone else) and our house is not ideal for working in -no office or anything. Just working where he can. (we have a couple of teenagers and a younger child). I have re-organised loft and sheds to create space for storage etc and with giving up premises will free up nearly £400 a month (to catch up on bills we have fallen behind on.
This is a great thread and any hints, tips or ideas gratefully received.

Essex-girl_2

Hello Everyone

Hope you had a nice Easter - we did albeit a quite one. Did very little work so have loads to do today. Did some reading of my Jack Canfield Principles of Succes book which is quite motivating. Have been visualising where I want to be at Christmas 2009 - hope its working.

Lots of work to do today & need to do cashflow forcasts for both business' - this is something I hate doing as it can be scary. Basically till August we are just scraping though however I will be good & get it done today.

Will work half hour sessions again & hope to achieve a minmum of 6........so best get on.

Have a very productive day.

Lois_and_CK

tattycath wrote: »

Hi all-I keep reading snippets as and when I've got time. My OH currently has premises for work...in another week he'll be working from home-mail order company. If anyone can give me any hints and tips how I can keep him motivated I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in anticipation.
Due to CCrunch and all we're having to cut costs etc (like everyone else) and our house is not ideal for working in -no office or anything. Just working where he can. (we have a couple of teenagers and a younger child). I have re-organised loft and sheds to create space for storage etc and with giving up premises will free up nearly £400 a month (to catch up on bills we have fallen behind on.
This is a great thread and any hints, tips or ideas gratefully received.

Staying motivated while working at home is very hard! It's so easy to get distracted with 'I'll just stick this washing in' and even easier to spend full days browsing the internet because there's no boss breathing down your neck. As a lazy person, I find it very difficult not to procrastinate and often find myself pulling late nights to meet deadlines.

I'm lucky in that I use the spare room as a dedicated office so I can kind of separate home and work. Having a permanent work space is really important, even if it's in the corner of a bedroom, I'd find it hard to work if I had to work at the dining table and then clear it for tea every night, say.

I spent a good few months just working whenever. Sometimes I'd stay in my pyjamas and work for a few hours, then shower and get dressed later in the day. This really didn't work as I didn't feel like I was 'at work'. You have to be pretty strict about this if you tend to procrastinate (like I'm doing right now :rolleyes:). Now I have breakfast, shower and get dressed; then I'm at my desk for 8.30. I spend half an hour or so on the internet, then start work at about 9-ish. I have a lunch break, and a couple of tea breaks. I tend to finish work at around 5.30, shutting the 'office' door behind me. It doesn't always work - sometimes I spend much longer on the internet, especially if I'm tired or the job I'm doing is boring. And other times I have to work into the night to meet a deadline - but that's just part of being self employed I think.

Purpleroses

Good morning gang!

I'm like you L&CK i took an age to really get into the habit of working from home but i now have my own space in a shed where it now feels like i'm coming to work and its made a huge difference.

Woo just got an email from a happy client. Always nice to hear when people are happy with your work.

Anyway must get back, lots to catch up with today!

Hope everyone has a good day!

tattycath

Lois_and_CK wrote: »

Staying motivated while working at home is very hard! It's so easy to get distracted with 'I'll just stick this washing in' and even easier to spend full days browsing the internet because there's no boss breathing down your neck. As a lazy person, I find it very difficult not to procrastinate and often find myself pulling late nights to meet deadlines.

I'm lucky in that I use the spare room as a dedicated office so I can kind of separate home and work. Having a permanent work space is really important, even if it's in the corner of a bedroom, I'd find it hard to work if I had to work at the dining table and then clear it for tea every night, say.

I spent a good few months just working whenever. Sometimes I'd stay in my pyjamas and work for a few hours, then shower and get dressed later in the day. This really didn't work as I didn't feel like I was 'at work'. You have to be pretty strict about this if you tend to procrastinate (like I'm doing right now :rolleyes:). Now I have breakfast, shower and get dressed; then I'm at my desk for 8.30. I spend half an hour or so on the internet, then start work at about 9-ish. I have a lunch break, and a couple of tea breaks. I tend to finish work at around 5.30, shutting the 'office' door behind me. It doesn't always work - sometimes I spend much longer on the internet, especially if I'm tired or the job I'm doing is boring. And other times I have to work into the night to meet a deadline - but that's just part of being self employed I think.

Thanks for that. I know what you mean about it being easy to get distracted. Great idea to have set breaks etc. My OH is setting up a desk in the dining end of the kitchen and we are going to move the dining table into the lounge. There are some jobs he will be able to do in the shed-once it has been properly emptied. We are both prone to procrastinating :rolleyes:
There are times when at work (as is now) when he/we could easily carry on and work well into the evening (if it wasn't for the having to get home) so maybe we could work to our strengths a bit. Late afternoons are normally pretty bad and least motivating-but still loads of work to be done then.
No doubt I shall be popping in and out of here for motivation-for him and me-whilst I don't work I do help him out when the need arises-it doesn't bring in any extra cash but it does lighten his work load when he is particularly stressed.
Right I'm waffling now, better go.