Shockingly enough, I get a lot of emails commenting on how “together” and organized I am. Sometimes I can’t help thinking that the internet must make me look way better than I really am because I often don’t feel like I’m organized or have it together. What I have realized, though, is that what seems natural to me may not seem natural to others. So yes, I can see how I may seem incredibly organized to some because many of my activities and habits are a way of life. I forget that everyone else doesn’t necessarily structure their days (or their life) like I do. (It’s easy to get lost in my own head and every once in a while I look up and think “oh, gee…you mean everyone doesn’t do it this way?”) I thought now would be a good time to start my work-at-home series–at risk of demystifying my perceived awesomeness. ;)

This series is going to cover the techniques that work for me. This doesn’t mean that they will work perfectly for you as is (or maybe even at all). Some techniques may be easy for you to incorporate into your life, others may need to be tweaked to fit your preferences and some you may just have to throw out the window all together. This series is not meant to be a “do it my way because my way is best” sort of series. It’s intended to be an example of works for me and to get you thinking creatively about ways to make working from home successful for you. Also, many of my tips will include working at home while parenting. If you’re working from home but you’re not a parent, then you have one less thing to wiggle into your day–if you are a parent, obviously some of this advice is going to depend on your parenting style. Ok…enough of the chit-chat–on to the good stuff!

Work Space

When you work from home you have a lot of latitude with your work space. As cool as this can be, it can be dangerous ground as well. Your surroundings can directly affect your productivity. You have to be honest with yourself here. If you’re the type to be easily distracted (like I am), then working on the couch in front of the t.v. all of the time is probably not the right choice. I would urge everyone to have a room dedicated as office space if at all possible–with a door is even better! Even if you don’t work in this room all the time, it’s good for you (and your family!) to get used to you having space that is designated for work.

Please, please, please (I’m begging here–did you notice?!?) avoid incorporating your office space into your bedroom. I’ve been there, done that and have the t-shirt in rainbow of colors. At first it seems like a great idea…usually your bedroom is somewhat out of the way. You think it will be a great little quiet corner in your house to be productive. True enough, it may be–but here are the major downfalls:

• It’s easy to get caught in the loop of rolling right from bed to your desk–and back again. You know what that means? You’ve spent all day working. Even if there are breaks in between, it’s bad to do on a regular basis. You need to set limits. When you wake up looking at your desk (that may be piled high with things that need to be tackled), it’s hard to see beyond the mountain of work in front of you.
• Your bedroom goes from being a haven of rest and relaxation to a place in your house that makes you anxious. Even when drifting off to sleep, you can’t get away from work thoughts or stresses because they’re right there. Bad juju, lovies. Everyone needs rest–yes, you too! The only way you’ll be good at your work is if you give your brain a break and step away from it for a while.
• Romance dies a slow, painful death. The idea of being naughty in your work space may seem cool for a while–and something you totally couldn’t get away with in your cube when you worked out of the home–but it wears off fast. Going hand-in-hand with your bedroom being a place to relax, it should be a romantic place as well. It’s hard enough to steal romantic moments if you have kids–if you can see your task list from over your partner’s shoulder, it’s even harder. Who wants that? ‘Nuff said.

You may need to get a little creative to snag office space, but it can be done. In the house we used to live in (which was incredibly small), I set up my office space in the tiny mud room off the back of the house. Was it perfect office space? No. But it did give me a spot that signaled to myself (and the family) that I was being productive when I was in there. When we bought our new home, we looked for a house that had existing office space or an additional bedroom that could be converted to office space. My husband works from home a lot, so we share this space.

There are several rooms that can be converted to office space if you don’t have an existing room that is officially office space–a guest bedroom (especially if it isn’t used often!), a laundry room, a mud room, even a garage. Just try to keep your work space out of your bedroom or other common rooms like a living/family room or kitchen, if you can. It’s hard to concentrate with a flow of people in and out of these rooms and it’s hard for family members to grasp your boundaries while you’re “at work.”

I’ll be back next Wednesday to talk specifically more about those boundaries–why you need them and how to set them while staying flexible.