Today I’m tackling boundaries. Every work-at-home individual (not just moms!) needs to set boundaries. These are for those who live with or around you–these are not to be confused with limits (which you set for yourself–and we will address here eventually). Here are the things that I personally feel are very important to keep in mind:

You are really working. If you’re being serious about working from home, then express that to your friends and family. Make sure they understand that you take your work seriously and they should respect that. It’s easy for others to fall into a pattern of referring to your work-at-home in a way that belittles it. Don’t let others insinuate that your work isn’t “real work” because you don’t drag yourself into an office or punch a clock. It takes an incredible amount of self-discipline and organization to work from home. Don’t let others make you think your work has any less value because of the location you choose to work from.

You have work times that are to be respected. This one can be tricky because you do get to set your own schedule, so it’s easy for others to assume that you can do whatever you want, whenever you want. The longer you work from home, the more likely you are to fall into work patterns. You may work typical office hours, you may break your work day up around the needs of your children or other responsibilities, or you may work in the dead of night when all is quiet. It doesn’t matter when you work–what matters is that you have work hours and others need to recognize that. Make sure your friends and family understand that they can’t just call or drop in while you’re working and expect you to stop what you’re doing in order to entertain them. If you have kids, even if they’re very small, there’s nothing wrong with introducing them to the idea that even though you’re home, you’re working. If you have toddler-aged children, set them up in your work space to play quietly while you work. This may not always happen perfectly. It’s more about getting them used to the idea that Mommy is “at work” even though they still get to be by your side. This becomes easier as children get older and more independent. However, if you set the pattern for your children that you drop everything when they want to be entertained, it will be a difficult one to break as they get older.

Communicate your work schedule. Make your work schedule known to help your friends and family respect that schedule. If someone calls to chat during work time, politely let them know that this is normally a time you set aside for work and ask them if you can call back later when you don’t have work tasks on the brain.

If you don’t respect yourself as a work-at-home individual, no one else will. Create your boundaries and stick to them (reasonably so). Prove to others that you’re serious about working from home and they will respect your needs.

Stay flexible enough to enjoy the perks of working at home. Adjust your work schedule to allow for free time to do things when you’d normally be working. Take advantage of being in charge of your own schedule. If you want to take a day to take your kids to the zoo, massage your work schedule to make it happen. Consider it one of the rewards for keeping yourself organized and self-motivated. ;)

I’ll see you next week with another WAHM topic!