The Home Office - Separating Work from Pleasure

It takes a special kind of person to effectively manage a home office. Some people view this as an easy venture. After all, you get to be home, work in your sweats if you want to, and even watch your children, right from your living room floor. But the reality is that managing a home office is a lot of work, and despite its many benefits, also poses special challenges

One of the challenges of working from home is the need to separate work from pleasure. When you have a home office you are inevitably managing multiple priorities at once. How do you efficiently divide your time between the demands of work related responsibilities, household chores, family obligations, vacations and child rearing? And how can you separate yourself from the sound of incoming emails and instant messages when you know you have a deadline to meet? Though these challenges may seem like a small price to pay compared to the benefit of working in your pajamas, for some, they can be very stressful.

Consider this scenario - A client calls with a short deadline, and then, out of the blue, you get an email from a new prospective client requesting a quote for services. You are happy to accept both projects because the goal is to grow your business, but you are suddenly forced to switch gears from a perfectly planned week, to fulfilling the services of the first client while preparing a quote for the second. Before you know it you haven’t reached any of the goals you set for the day and it’s time to make dinner. What do you do? Do you stick to your schedule and make dinner as planned, then work through the night to catch up on your day, or do you delay dinner for an hour to rearrange your schedule for the week to accommodate the new work?

Everybody works differently, and most people have certain times of the day when they seem to work most effectively, so there is no wrong answer to this question. However, the worst thing you can do is work yourself to the point of exhaustion. If you feel tired or unorganized, you are not going to be able to work to the best of your ability. This could result in a lower quality of service, and possibly even the loss of future business. The goal is to work smart, and in my opinion, working smart means staying organized.

Below are a few tips that may help you stay organized and productive without sacrificing the quality of your business.

Set Boundaries
It is important to set boundaries between your work and your other responsibilities. Create a daily work schedule, taking into consideration other obligations you may have. Plan a time to start work in the morning, a time for lunch (and not a working lunch in front of your computer), and a time to end your workday. If your business is part-time, set certain days of the week that you will dedicate to the business, and schedule other errands on your "days off". Of course not every week, and not every project is going to fit into this perfect schedule, but at least if you have a basic structure in place you can more easily rearrange and manage your workload to accommodate extraordinary circumstances.

Plan Ahead
Think short-term – Make your last task of every day an overview of your accomplishments, and a glimpse of the week ahead. Take 30 minutes to catch your breath, analyze your goals and make adjustments as needed. By making this your last step of the day, you will likely feel a little more organized and able to relax during the evening.

Think long-term – At least once a month, make a little time to review the direction of your business, explore new ideas for growth and develop your strategy for success. Even though you probably have a mental image of future goals, putting this vision on paper can give you a measurable way to determine your next course of action. This is also a great time to celebrate your accomplishments thus far.

Get Assistance
The goal is to free up your time so that you can focus on what you need to do to make your business productive. If your business is profitable enough for you to hire an assistant to help you get through your daily tasks (filing, bookkeeping, making phone calls, scheduling appointments, etc.) it is worth the investment. If this is not possible, then you may be able to get help from friends or family who are willing to volunteer their time. In the event that neither of these scenarios are possible, take a long hard look at your business and determine if there are any areas where you can outsource work to another local business. The more time you can dedicate to building your business, the better off you’ll be.

Find Time to Relax
I believe that a person is most productive when they have a good balance of work and pleasure in their life. Just because you own a business does not necessarily mean that you have to be glued to it at every moment. In fact, you may find yourself more productive if you take a break every once and a while. Go on vacation, go to the gym, go for a walk, meet with friends, and enjoy the freedom you have to set your own schedule and make your business what you want it to be, without burning yourself out in the process.

Managing a home office requires a delicate balance that takes time to develop. We hope that over time we learn to multi-task, plan ahead and reduce stress so that we can avoid some of the challenges that accompany this working relationship. With a little help and a lot of planning, your home office can be an inspiring and healthy place for you to develop skills, follow your dreams and find success.