How to Balance Work At Home with a Part Time Job

With the economy going sour, it may become harder for some who work at home to make it a full time venture. You may need to get work outside the home -- a part time or temporary job. Here’s how to balance work at home with a part time job.

Don’t overcommit yourself.  Be realistic about how many hours you can devote to work at home and a part time job each week. If you already work at home, you know that many of the hours you put in aren’t paid hours; they’re spent on accounting, phone calls, e-mails, paperwork, trips to the office supply store, etc. Keep track of the actual number of hours you spend on work at home on average, paid and unpaid.

Next, determine the maximum number of weekly hours you’ll able to put in on an ongoing basis. Some people can comfortably put in 60-hour work weeks, while others feel they can’t go over 40. Much of this depends on your personal obligations and your energy level.

Subtract the hours you spend on work at home from your weekly limit. If you work at home 20 hours per week and your limit is 40 hours, that leaves 20 hours per week for a part time job.

Choose a job that’s different from your work at home. Take a look at your range of skills, including the skills you haven’t used in a while. Chances are, your work at home doesn’t require that you use all of them. If your work at home consists of freelance writing, but you studied accounting in college, try a part time bookkeeping job. If your work at home involves taking a high volume of phone calls, tell a temp agency that you’re open to any secretarial work that doesn’t involve answering phones. You might enjoy the opportunity to perform a wider variety of tasks.

Look for jobs that fit into your work at home schedule. If your work at home is flexible -- that is, you can work at any time of day --you’re free to accept any part time job. If your work at home must take place during business hours, you’ll have to find a part time job with an evening or weekend schedule. Another alternative is to make yourself available for work at home during certain days of the week, leaving the rest of the week open for a part time job.

Again, be realistic about what you can and cannot handle. Most people would crack under the strain of a seven-day work week, even if the total number of hours is 40 or below. If your financial situation is such that you feel you have no choice but to work six or seven days per week, you may want to consider giving up your work at home for the time being and finding a full time job with a Monday through Friday schedule.