We all know that working from home has both its rewards and unique challenges. Some people don’t take work from home jobs seriously and continue to drop in or phone unexpectedly through the day. Having a work and home domain combined can create stress and inefficiency. Since your home is now your work place, you must take the initiative and set rules and boundaries to protect your work time and space. These things must be tailored to fit your needs to ensure your working schedule is not interrupted. However, there are a few basic pointers that will help you create a work schedule to make your work at home experience a positive one.
Set Limits
Children have a hard time realizing that you are home but not readily available and some adults are worse than the children. Though you don’t want to be rude or nasty, you must set guidelines for phone calls and visits if you want your work from home experience to be successful.
* Explain to family and friends that your telephone answering machine will pick up all calls that come in during your work hours.
* Do not allow children and other family members to run the TV or stereo while you’re working. Background noise can be a great distraction.
* Explain to all members of the family, including children, that when your door is closed that you are not available.
* Don’t allow children to use, touch or play with office equipment. If they do something that creates a problem you may spend half of your work day trying to correct it.
* Take regular lunch hours and coffee breaks. Put a limit on these, just as there’d be a limit on them in a working office.
* When you have your break, let pets out and tend to anything else that needs your immediate attention. If you have to prolong your break, work late to make up the time.
* Shower and dress for the office as soon as you get up. Dress in “working clothes.” This gives you the feeling of being “at” work.
* Have breakfast just as you would if you were heading out to the office. If possible, take a snack into your office for your break.
* Explain to family members and friends that you are only to be interrupted in cases of emergencies.
* Hire a sitter or take small children to a day care center, as they make it very difficult to set fast and hard rules about interrupting.
Work Space
Some efficiently run home offices are not private. If you must share a space, use bookshelves, plants, curtains and wall units to create your very own personal space. Explain that while you are working no one is to enter it.
Stick with your rules and never waiver. If you allow infractions you’ve lost your ability to create a good working environment. If you are firm, people will realize that you take your work at home job seriously and they will respect your wishes.
Written by Mary M. Alward exclusively for TopWahms.com
