Melissa Rich-Landis Author – Your Virtual Home Office Can Be a Reality!

If you are maintaining a home office and that office is used only for business purposes, you may be entitled to additional tax deductions associated with your home office.    The first step is knowing what percentage of your home is dedicated to your home office.  For example, if your home is 2,000 square feet and your home office is 200 feet, ten percent of your home is for your office and ten percent of the following expenses may be deductible:

• Utilities – gas, electric, water, trash
• Home owner’s or renter’s insurance
• Mortgage interest
• Real estate taxes

Please review chapter 19 or talk with your CPA to get more information.

Adhering to business hours from a home office

Lately, the office phone seems to ringing later and later into the evening.  While I am thankful that the phone is ringing and my home based business is growing, I have also found that those calls are steadily nibbling into family time. 

It appears I need to work on adhering better to my established business hours as stated on page 51 of Your Virtual Home Office Can Be A Reality! .  Even though I have had a home office for over ten years, I often find that I need to continually strive to place boundaries on my home life and work life to ensure the proper balance between the two.

Motivation is tough even working from my virtual home office. Ever have those days that you just can’t make yourself do what is needed to fulfill your work requirements. Something that helps me is to walk away from the office and get the blood pumping. Take a walk, go for a bike ride, or just get outside for some fresh air.

Drinking a glass of ice water while working helps keep my head clear and my mind focused. Turn on the tunes. If you are doing work that does not require a quiet area, turn up the music. Figure out what gets your juices flowing and put it into action before getting into a work rut.

One of the great things about working from home is that I never have to take off of work due to bad weather. My commute time is taking a left at the end of the hallway.

Working from home is truly a blessing and even though I have been doing so for 20 + years, I still count my blessings every time I don’t have to get out in the ice and snow.

Even though I don’t have to officially take off work due to weather conditions, I have the flexibility to do so if I want to go and play with the kids.  Working from my virtual home office is one of the best decisions for my career and my family.

Wow!  2010 is in the books of history, but tax time is just around the corner.   Hopefully, you kept your records filed neatly and can find the tax documentation that you need to fully take advantage of the home office deductions.

 It is also time to review your record keeping system and make modifications as necessary.   Home office expenses can be varied and diverse, but maintaining a strong paper trail is essential for minimizing the time involved with tax preparation.

I talk about this subject since it is a lesson I am teaching my adult children. My son is seeking a job and has been taken in by all of the scams and ads that stated “ Apply here and earn $1,000 per week”. There are so many scammers out there looking for innocent people seeking to better themselves with a job. Don’t be fooled by the ads. When looking for jobs, steer clear of ads that just seem too good to be true.

Check out the job boards and always check out companies with organizations such as the BBB. Working in your virtual home office is truly a blessing and should not leave you with a sour taste in your mouth.

Virtual employees or contractors can save a company many dollars in terms of reduced overhead expenses in comparison to onsite employees.   However, managing virtual employees also offers a unique set of challenges.  Managers often find that their employees are not fully realizing their potential from the home office and can lose their focus; therefore, many of these same companies are contacting us for help and training in the home office aspects.

If we can help your team fully embrace the home office environment through our training programs, please do not hesitate to contact me at any time.

It seems like everyone is on the social media sites. You have Facebook, twitter, email and the list goes on and on. It can really be hard to focus on your work once you have these sites open. Sometimes because we work from home, we have a tendency to think it is not as important to keep your focus on work and turn off the distractions.

I make a point to check the sites that are important to me before starting work for the day. I am easily distracted and don’t need to hear about drama while I am working. When working from your virtual home office, you have to pick and choose when it is appropriate to take a phone call or check your social sites. Focus takes work and dedication. If you need help with distractions-check out Melissa’s book- Your Virtual Home Office Can Be a Reality.