One of my goals for working from home is to have more time with my family. Because of my decision to buy a farm in 2007, I have an 80-mile commute. My employer helped me out by allowing me to work remotely, one day a week. (I must say that they have been very open-minded and supportive!) Recently, I was able to expand that to two days a week. This is a real blessing to me as it eliminates almost 8 hours of drive time each week.

I have always been interested in managing virtual teams, since I went to a ProjectWorld conference in the late ’90s. At that conference I went to a workshop on managing distributed teams. My reason for attending was that I was beginning to manage a team of programmers in India to help with system maintenance and Y2K work. Now, I am the one who is a virtual/distributed (40% of the time) team member!

Two books I read, this past year, gave me encouragement to step out in this way: The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss and Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It: No Schedules, No Meetings, No Joke–the Simple Change That Can Make Your Job Terrific by Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson. The 4-Hour Workweek gave me some strategies for changing my work schedule to allow me to work remotely. Why Work Sucks gave me solid strategies for focusing the evaluation of my work on results (ROWE) and for dealing with negative comments that the authors termed “sludge.”

If you are looking to have more freedom in your work life – the freedom to get results, then I recommend that you read both books. My life now has better margin and control. It is intensely liberating, less stressful, and now has some margin. Most of all, it is already having a positive impact on my family life.

The 4-Hour Workweek

Timothy Ferriss. Crown Archetype 2007, Hardcover, 320 pages, $1.50

Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It

Cali Ressler. Portfolio Hardcover 2008, Hardcover, 224 pages, $2.63

I have been doing some sort of on-line retailing since 2002. While selling physical products is something I love to do, it has been only marginally profitable. In fact, the last two years I have lost a little money. The biggest cost has been on my time. It never grew large enough to justify having a payroll and as a family business, it didn’t involve the whole family. The time cost is larger than just spending time on the store. Selling physical products always had time pressure to get the orders out. It is the time I am not spending with my wife and children. The purpose of this blog is to chronicle my journey to spend more time with my family. This change of direction will help with that.

Beginning immediately, I will be shutting down my physical products operations. I will be selling out my inventory. The stuff that sells well will be sold at regular retail. Everything else will be discounted to move quickly. I plan to have most of my inventory liquidated by the end of January. What’s left will go on eBay. By the end of December, the present incarnation of Ten Foot Table will be gone.

What will I do? I plan to write – both e-books and blogging. I also plan to do affiliate marketing. This kind of work can happen in the fringe hours after God, family, and my regular job. I think I will have a lot to offer by going in this new direction. Mostly for my wife and children.

I am not down about this decision. In fact, I am at peace with it. It is the right thing to do. I will have better focus. It is in God’s will for my life.

There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches. – Proverbs 13:7 (KJV)

The biggest obsticle to stepping out on your own is fear. I know this is the case for me. How can I leave the security of my job and paycheck to work for myself? I have been reading a book called The One Minute Millionaire by Mark Victor Hansen and Robert G. Allen. While reading, I came across a quote that seems appropriate.

“There are only two doors in life: the door marked ‘Security’ and the door marked ‘Freedom.’ If you choose the door marked ‘Security,’ you lose both.” The One Minute Millionaire, pp.324-325.

The desire for security is part of the fear of going out on your own with no corporate safety net. It will take a bold step forward to make the move. I have a wife and five children to take care of. The move has to be done well. Anything less will mean failure. So, what should be done about fear?

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. – II Timothy 1:7 (KJV)

This passage is given to us in the context of following God and being a witness. I truly believe that God wants me to be home with my family. That is part of my witness. I have faith that God will provide a way. I need to keep working at it and taking the steps as God opens doors. The only true security is God’s security.

I have had a strong leading for several years to be home with my family so I can lead and teach them, God’s way. This idea came to me while studying in Deuteronomy.

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. – Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (KJV)

This is one of the foundational passages on raising children in the Bible. I can’t get past the teaching that a father needs to be with his children to teach them. It is his God-given responsibility. It is my work to do that.

For all my working life, I have worked at a traditional job. I am gone from home 50 plus hours each week. So much time lost when I could be with my wife and children. I am grateful for the good jobs I have held and the great bosses I have worked for. Now things have changed to the point where God has given me strong leadings to “come home” to my family.

That is what this blog is about. A father who wants to work at home in order to be obedient to God and to serve my family. However, in my home, I am known as daddy. That is why this blog is named Daddy Work at Home. I hope you will join me in reading about my transition in life. I know it will be challenging and difficult at times. I believe that it will be extremely rewarding too!