Like many of us who telecommute, typically our place of work is an office from out of our homes. While this may seem like the ideal work environment, it can come with its own set of challenges—especially where family is involved.
Interruptions from spouses with phone calls while they are at work, children’s demanding sports schedules, extra commitments from organizations and pesky neighbors stopping by are just a few of the distractions that can occur throughout the day. Informing rather than ignoring increases productivity and work time.
Being able to say you go to work in comfortable pajama bottoms and a comfy t-shirt is one of the many perks to working at home. Many choose telecommuting to be closer to their family and keep a watchful eye on their children—when in fact there is usually no time to do this when one is trying to meet deadlines and adhere to work schedules.
Keeping the time efficient that is spent with family and job focus separate, should be no different than if you had to fire up the SUV and head off to the corporate office.
Here are some things to consider when things seem overwhelming and the stresses of home distract you from getting your work done.
Family Meeting
The first priority should be holding a family meeting. Make sure to get everyone involved. Sitting down and discussing issues with everyone in the family is essential in making your telecommuting career and family life flow better. If close friends often drop by while you work—consider including them as well. First, inform everyone that the biggest advantage to working at home is being there for them—the family. Just because you are there though doesn’t mean you are not working. Remind them that when the door is shut—you are working. Keeping your work time uninterrupted is essential in being productive, time efficient, meeting deadlines and finishing work tasks on time. Inform them that the more interruptions you have the longer it will take you to get your work completed. If someone stops by to see you—tell your family to politely inform them to wait or come back later. Keep in mind that if you were working in a corporate office—you couldn’t just get leave your desk to chat or take a personal call. Treat your home office the same.
Office Location
The location where your home office or work space lies is very important to your productivity. While so many of us grab the dining room table or even the reclining chair in front of the television, there needs to be a designated office location that you can call your own. A small bedroom, an area under the stairs, or even a renovated storage shed—make great home office locations. Be sure to choose an area that is quiet and free from distractions. Be sure to add homey and comfortable elements to your personal space. Plants, candles and inspirational prints are a great way to keep you motivated and remain on task. Have all of your office supplies handy such as a shredder, printer, filing cabinet and pens—this will save time and money. Let your family know that this location is off limits to them, especially the days and hours that you are working.
Message Board
A message board is a great way to communicate with your family from your home office. A whiteboard works best along with dry erase markers and erasers. On the board you can list the dates you will have the heaviest work load—where you may need extra peace and quiet. If a client will be coming in or you need to attend a conference call—note these activities on the board. If your family knows what is going on with you they can make sure to have other plans in place or leave momentarily if needed. Communication is key with telecommuting and working from home so be sure to keep the lines open at all times.
Schedule
Planning a weekly or monthly schedule is essential for having a successful telecommuting career. Make your own deadlines to correlate with those set by project and work deadlines. Implement important dates and times from your family’s schedules into the entire schedule and stick with it! Make sure to fit in your necessary errands and tasks daily—if left undone, your household will quickly become unproductive. Having an hourly, daily, weekly and monthly planner set up ahead of time will make the entire family unit run more efficiently.
Learning to juggle family life and work life while working from home is a definitely a challenge. By implementing small factors into your everyday lifestyle—work and family life will soon acquire its own feng shui and before you know it everyone will be on task. Taking care of your family should be part of your overall goal plans—after all, they are why you work so hard in the first place.