Home work requires a schedule, balance

Dear Readers: Many people work from home, and men and women are finding creative ways to telecommute. Here are some Heloise helpful hints to help you if you work from home:

1. Keep a schedule, write it down and post it for the rest of your family to see. It doesn’t matter if you work from midnight to 5 a.m. — just make sure everyone knows the schedule.

2. Minimize distractions. To some, this might mean wearing earplugs or checking e-mail only every few hours. Turn off that TV and listen to the radio only if you can be productive with background noise.

3. Take free online classes to enhance your skill set — basic bookkeeping, for example, or business writing.

4. Carve out some “alone” time (outside the home, if you can) every day or so. Go to the gym, library or park. If you can’t leave, at least move to another room, look out a window, water a plant or play with your pet.

5. Leave notes on your door with instructions for delivery drivers. If your office is a “one-man show” and you’re talking to a client, you don’t want to have to put the client on hold.

Finally, you are not the only one in this position. Strive daily to find balance, and don’t be too hard on yourself. Heloise

P.S.: I’ve worked in my home office for more than 30 years. Trust me, you can keep your sanity ... most days!

Dear Heloise: Is the “H” silent in your name? My dad says most definitely “yes” and gets mad when I say “Heloise,” as in “Helen.” Thank you for settling this debate! Janel Silverberg, via e-mail

Believe it or not, I get this question all the time! Thanks for asking. The “H” is pronounced, like in “Hello.” My mother was the first Heloise, and she was born Eloise with a twin sister Louise. Mother added the “H” to “Eloise” to make “Hints from Heloise”! “Hello ... ease”

Dear Heloise: I love the foam soap dispensers, since they produce a nice lather to wash your hands while using less soap than the old dispensers. To save even more money, I’ve found that you can refill the dispensers with any liquid dishwashing soap that has been diluted. It took some experimentation, but a ratio of 1-to-5 (1 part soap to 5 parts water) seems to work well. You may have to adjust the ratio depending on the type of soap that is used. In addition to washing your hands, a couple of squirts also are handy and economical to wash an individual pot or dish. Don S., Baton Rouge, La.

Dear Heloise: I make sausage balls for parties and discovered that I can put the ingredients in a plastic bag and knead them much easier than mixing them in a bowl. Best of all, you don’t have to get your hands in the mix! Mavis Axtell, Jacksonville, Texas

SBlt Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate