If you have a home business, you probably know that it takes up a lot of time. Cutting back on the time you spend, or at least finding balance, is a good thing. There are two instances that I have seen recently that have impressed upon me the importance of balance with your home business.

Part-time work from home

Mrs. Micah is well-known for her freelance side business. She does consulting and writing part-time, in addition to a full-time job. She wrote a post today about the stresses she has been encountering with regard to working from home on top of doing her full-time job. In the end, it became apparent that it was time to cut back on her freelancing and consulting.

Full-time work from home

I’m actually being forced to cut back. Recently, a major client announced that it would be cutting my work by more than half. I’ve thought about frantically trying to replace that income with a lot of side projects, but my husband pointed out that this might be a blessing in disguise. Lately I’ve been worried about money (and feeling a little trapped) because I am the primary breadwinner with my work from home freelancing. What happens if someone else ditches? But other opportunities are coming, and it appears that I’ll be able to make as much money doing less. This major client was still paying rates charged nearly 4 years ago when I was relatively new to freelancing.

In the end, sometimes it’s time to move on and cut back a little bit. It is usually possible to adjust to the income (if you are prepared), and it can save your sanity, allowing you more time to spend with your family — and even with just yourself.