How do you manage your work day? What kind of hours to you work? What about the incoming email, mail, phone calls? How do you balance family life with your office at home?
These are all issues those of us that work at home struggle with, but in order to separate work time from family time, as well as provide “me” time, requires some planning and then determination to stick to the boundaries and systems you have created.
Work Hours: Create a set schedule for your working hours, which includes the days of the week you are going to work. This can be as flexible as you need it to be, especially if you have children.
Many people feel that schedules are rigid and they hate following them, but the truth is schedules create freedom! Freedom to make choices and decisions based on looking at your schedule. It allows you to rearrange things and say YES, to those things that are important, like going on a field trip with your child, and still stay on top of those things you have to do for your business.
Phone Calls: Phone calls can be a big distraction and really erode productivity. Only answer phone calls during certain times of your work day – all personal calls after your work hours. Schedule a time on your calendar for at least two hours per day for uninterrupted time to work on projects that need your complete focus. Did you know that for every interruption it takes an average of 20 minutes to get back on task? That is a lot of wasted time for each distraction during our day!
Well meaning family and friends do not always understand that because you are home, that doesn’t mean that you can stop and chat whenever you want. You are working. Let them know that during working hours that your calls will go to voice mail and you will return their call later. Have a system set up for if there is an emergency, they can get a hold of you. This takes some getting used to, but it does work.
Email: Do you continually check your email? Do you use it as a distraction when there is something you should be working on, but do not want to? Schedule a certain amount of time a few times a day, to answer your email. If there is task that needs to be done with one of the emails, schedule it on your calendar to complete if it will take you longer than 3 minutes to do. Do not check email first thing in the morning! This sets the tone for the day and wastes valuable time. Do the priorities on your list first and get them completed BEFORE you check your email.
Interruptions: Besides having the phone and email as distractions, my husband also works at home, so we have to work together not to interrupt each other during work hours. If my office door is closed, then it means I am working on a project or on a phone call. We also schedule time to coordinate activities that require us working together. Making this adjustment was helpful with the interruptions that were very distracting and really creating problems for our productivity.
Working at home has many rewards and benefits, but it also requires some discipline and systems in order to keep work from interfering with your family life. Schedule your office and work hours to allow keep focus and interaction with your family time. It is too easy to “pop” in your office for a little work, when you have a free moment, but we know how a couple of minutes can turn into a couple of hours very quickly. So, shut down the computer, close your office door and have the down time that you need to clear your mind and the quality time your family needs with you. Have a system to where your family knows you are not to be interrupted if say, the door is closed to your office, or during certain hours, etc.
I love working at home, but also know it takes some systems and disciple to make it all work smoothly and create that “balance” of work and home life.
Just one more step in creating a successful working environment!
To Your Success!
-Debbie Franklin, co-Founder, Razorr International, LLC
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