I work from a desk in the corner of our kids’ small playroom.
Full time. Usually more. For two years now. Managing social media {and the website (in)courage} for DaySpring, the Christian subsidiary of Hallmark.
It’s the most rewarding job I’ve ever had.
Right now there is a baby girl at my feet playing an annoying musical toy and two boys playing the Wii in the living room. There is a small, wet dog asleep in her bed on the back deck and a hamster who fortunately has not yet been eaten by the dog.
It’s a good day.
I thought you might like a peek.
{I must really like you guys to invite you into my little slice of heavenly chaos….}
Yup, that’s my real life, real deal, work-from-home set up.
So here’s what I’ve learned from the last two years about working from home without losing your mind:
1. Keep regular office hours
I’m connected to our Internet Marketing team via an intranet. It’s awesome. It’s like I’m there in the office with them. I keep the same office hours as everyone because I’m part of a team.
Distance is diminished by instant, reliable connection.
I’m always there when they expect me to be. And we all like it that way.
Thanks to Skype and instant messaging I’m only a click away and can easily pop a virtual head around anyone’s office door.
Even if you’re not part of an office team, regular office hours will set your body clock to the routine of a work schedule, which is the best way I know to tap every ounce of productivity.
2. Create a dedicated office space
Sure, my space may be a wee cluttered and colorful, but it’s me. And when I’m sitting at that desk all I see is that desk, my laptop and my white board to the left. My back is to the rest of the playroom {see “point 4 below: this is how I wear blinders”} and it’s my 100% work space.
I only sit at that desk when I’m working. Not for crafty activities with kids or letter writing or surfing the net or anything else in the relaxation realm. It’s for work and work only and it helps me get my game face on.
3. Trade up from sweats
I’m not talking suits here. And sure, comfy clothes are a big plus about working from home. But in order to have my head in the work game I need to feel like I’m in the office. And I would never wear my pajamas to the office.
What I wear is a large part of what I tell my brain I’m doing.
Running = sweats; girl’s night out = high heels; Sunday afternoon = pajamas;
work hours = business casual, usually with make up and sometimes with jewelry.
4. Wear blinders
The tricky bit about working from home is that there’s always something on the to-do list that isn’t work related. You can’t just close the front door on that stack of dirty dishes or overflowing laundry basket.
But here’s the secret: You can!
Just choose not to look. Keep the space where you’re working neat, tidy and productive. Turn your back on everything else.
If you don’t then I promise your precious work hours will be a series of fits and false starts.
5. With young kids at home, help has proved essential
My kids are six, four and one. I don’t home school. But Tsh from Simple Mom does and we talked about balancing full time work from home with school and kids in our recent podcast – did you listen to it yet? She has help too.
My two boys are in Kindergarten and preschool respectively. Zoe is home full time with me. When she was still immobile it worked out just fine to entertain her with strategically placed toys and peppy tunes. Now that she can walk and {baby} talk and get into everything, not so much.
I couldn’t do what I do without the greatest baby sitter on the face of the planet and a husband who totally gets and supports what I do in word as well as with his schedule.
Three days a week Zoe is with the adorable baby sitter {who also voluntarily does my laundry and dishes and yes I totally want to adopt her!} One morning a week Peter watches her. And the other day I just juggle.
Honestly, before Tara I had regular fits of weeping over the backed up laundry and unmanageable house. My love for her is big.
Anytime I have to travel for work or meet intense deadlines, Tara is available for longer hours or more days. And Peter and I plan ahead enough that he can be home early in a pinch or take over the whole shebang in the evenings if I need extra time. Yea, he’s awesome like that. And I always, always bring him home a cinnamon crunch bagel {name that place}.
6. Online grocery shopping is a time & sanity saver
I used to watch those Peapod delivery trucks and think it was only for the rich and famous. Then I did some research and DUDE, it’s only a few bucks more for the delivery. And believe me when I tell you those few dollars more than make up for the time and exhaustion tagging grocery shopping with three kids onto an already packed day costs.
Hands down worth the investment.
Unless you’re like my husband and enjoy grocery shopping. Then by all means, get your cart and squeaky wheel on.
7. Take a lunch break
You need to eat. You will feel more human if you do so without tweeting, Facebooking and writing reports at the same time. This is something I must remind myself on a regular basis.
Sometimes leaving the house for lunch and interacting with other three dimensional people can recharge a whole day for the cost of a bowl of soup.
8. Make your peace with letting go of perfect
If I let every stray sock, every doggie chew toy, every stain and unwashed item and pile of unattended paperwork rule my days, I’d never get anything done. I’d be too busy beating myself up for not managing everything perfectly.
I’ve traded perfect for productive. And sometimes productive takes a bit of messy to make the most of a day.
I’m finally OK with that. It’s taken me about a decade, three kids, a dog and one hamster. True story.
9. Knock off at 5pm
Honestly, this one is the hardest for me.
The temptation is to just let your work spill over into your late afternoon and then your evening as you try to finish up “just this one last thing.” But having a hard “end” to your day is essential to give your head time to clear and readjust to family time.
With no commute home to clear your head, you need to manufacture the hard stop between activities to help you transition from “work” to “home.”
This can be even harder if you work in social media, which – as we all know – never sleeps. But, as I’ve said before, it’s impossible to be involved in everything and in fact, missing out just might be the better choice most days anyway.
Manufacturing reasons to actually leave the building helps too – like going for a run or picking kids up from school. This helps me delineate between my two chunks of day: work life and home life.
{Confession: most nights after kids are fed, bathed and in bed I can’t stay away from peeking back in on things, but I try to fast from social media almost entirely on the weekends}.
10. Don’t start cleaning projects you can’t finish in 1 day
Sometimes, despite everything I said in point 4 above, there’s something in the house that starts to drive me bonkers. And much like anyone who works in an office needs to clean house now and again, that happens at home too.
But here’s the thing – try not to tackle anything that will immobilize your productivity. Save those big projects for weekends or holidays.
Work your way back into a peaceful state of mind, without multiplying the chaos, the way some housekeeping projects inevitably do.
11.Work out of the house on occasion
Mix it up some days. Work from the library or Panera or your favorite coffee shop.
You’d be surprised how much this can refresh your creativity.
12. Show your family what you’re working on
You may have heard of this awesome event that (in)courage recently hosted called (in)RL {short for “in real life”}. It was a webcast that 1,700 women tuned into from all over the world before meeting up with other local (in)courage readers to get to know each other better in real life.
It was a blast. A gift. An inspiration to be a part of.
It was also the most exhausting thing I’ve done in a long time and by the end I felt like I was down to one brain cell and had forgotten what my family looked like. And if families are a team, the team needs to know what it is they’re all rooting for.
So as the (in)RL weekend progressed one of the best parts was sharing the (in)RL Instagram feed with my kids. They got such a kick out of seeing my face on many of the webcast screens participants were tuned into. And I could explain that this is the work mommy had been doing to encourage other moms. They loved it. And it helped explain my weepy, emotional state all weekend as a year-long dream was realized before our eyes.
13. Some days, despite your best efforts, everything will spiral into chaos anyway. That’s OK
Treat with chocolate.
Start over again tomorrow.
And you? If you work from home what works for you?
I’d love to know.
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Thankyou so so much for this post!!! I am constantly feeling overwhelmed by everything going on here at home while I try to study in addition to being a SAHM … I really don’t work well on it in the evenings, except when my assignments are due!! … Also, thanks for showing your ‘space’ … I’ve always felt resentful that I have to share my study space with everyone else in the lounge room (works as our play room too as I have to share my bedroom with my daughter and there’s not much more space after you consider the beds, bookshelf and closet!!) … You have helped me feel better about it – thank you!!
Hey Larissa,
I’m glad I could help. I often dream of a Pottery Barn office but my reality is way different and I’ve come to embrace it. And love the people who create the chaos that makes me who I am :)
Oh, thank you. I just love that whenever I read one of your posts, I remember that I’m not alone…and I’m not crazy. Well…as least not any crazier than any other mama.
Juggling the kids & my other “ventures” often seems impossible…but I think its because I think there’s this RIGHT way of doing things, and I just can’t seem to do it the right way. But I’m learning what is best for me and what is best for my family. Thank you for the helpful tips…I needed that!
And I agree…chocolate is sometimes the best medicine. :)
Yes yes me too – I’ve often been defeated by the elusive “right way” of doing things. But I think it’s all just a myth cooked up by home magazine people and the truth is, if it works for you and your crew, it’s your right way – at least when it comes to home offices :)
I started working for myself in January and it has been quite a big adjustment to be at home all day. I quickly realised that because I’m an introvert, I need to see people to keep energised and motivated, even if it’s nothing to do with my work! I try and book in lunches and “after work drinks” to see friends and network.
But keeping a schedule like you try to is also key. I start work when my husband leaves for the office in the morning, and I finish when he walks back in the door. And I try to take a lunch break away from the computer.
I’ve also found a network of cafes with free wireless to work from which helps when I need a “people fix” ;)
I’m so impressed that you manage it all with three young kids as well. We don’t have children yet, but we’ll just have to figure that out if and when they come along!
One kid at a time – that’s how you adjust. :) And free wifi at restaurants is my best friend too!
Thank you for this great post!
It is kindly challenging me to find some balance when attempting to work at home.
I have yet to find it. It is still very difficult for me to get anything done. Whether I feel guilty about not giving my full attention to my kiddos or I just have trouble focusing.
You are offering valuable advice and I am so appreciative.
Some days it’s just hard. No matter what you try. Those days will pass and a balance that works for you will emerge. Hang in there.
I have always had a tremendous admiration for women who can balance work and home. I’m a full-time mom and I struggle to keep up with everything! I found a lot here that was applicable to my life though. Thanks for sharing on such a practical level.
Honestly, I couldn’t do it without help. There’s just no way a 40 hour work week can exist alongside tiny humans in the same space. No way.
I also work from home and have been really struggling lately to find a balance. I can’t tell you how guilty I have felt about my need for part time preschool and help from family and babysitters. It really is the only way I can manage with 3 young children.
These are some excellent tips!
It’s the only way I’ve found for us all to maintain our sanity. Kids need stimulation; moms need focused time to work. Preschool has helped us all end the day happier all around. My kids love their teachers, I love my work – and it’s the balance that works for us.
Awesome post Lisa-Jo – loved your points and I will be checking back occasionally when I forget the need for boundaries. It is refreshing to see your real life set up – thanks for sharing the pics! Question – when do you find the time to blog too???
Ahhhhhh I should have included that. That’s what 9pm to midnight is for :) I sleep way less than I probably should, but I love to write and have words bubbling up in me that need to come out. So I write in the fringe hours and love every moment of the quiet house at midnight.
I choose blogging over TV, books, or anything else I could find to entertain in the evening. #CrazyCakes
A lot of good ideas. It helps me think a bit about my own life right now as a seminary student in a small apartment.
Any information on how to find a job that allows you to work from home (particularly as a writer or editor, but anything really)? I have looked and been unable to find anything that didn’t have a scam-like sound to it. Seems like you have to already have an awesome job that ends up letting you transfer to a home office, and I don’t want to spend several years away from the kids trying to build a career.
I wish there was a simple answer. But for me it was a matter of two years at a work full time away from home job in order to provide for our family and evening hours spent crammed full of blogging and networking and connecting with new friends online. That eventually led to opportunities to write for other sites like (in)courage and ultimately to the job I have now. But it was a slow route. And took lots and lots of after hours investment on my part. But it was 100% worth it to me – even though at the time I had no idea it would result in a full time work from home job. I’d say write as much and as often as you can – and connect with as many other writers/editors as you can. Relationship is the only currency that matters and it’s amazing how connecting with others in your field can open doors. Hope that helps a bit.
Thank you for your thoughts!
LOVED all your photos! Especially the arrows and descriptions. “Colleague” gave me a good chuckle :)
Heh – me too. I crack myself up. Also, I am totally open to a Pottery Barn makeover – paging Pottery Barn if you’re listening :)
This is a great post. I love your photos with arrows too! I work from home as well and have been guilty of going to work in my pj’s :-( Peapod is great! I use them and love knowing I have that option, being a single mom of two young boys and working full time it definitely helps a lot! Thanks for showing us your work space!
Hey Dawn – yup, I’ve found that perfect is never going to happen in my house. I don’t have the time or budget to create the Pottery Barn office space I dream of. Real has been the next best thing and I love our crazy combo and it works for all of us. And I hoped sharing it would encourage the moms out there who, like me, are trying to balance a lot of different things all the while raising tiny humans :)
I have raised two kids while working from home for the last 9 years. I have often thought of doing my own post like this but just haven’t. You have covered so many great points. For many years, my office was literally sitting at a kids table, in a kids chair, in the playroom on my laptop. As long as I was nearby they would play and I could work. It wasn’t comfortable or convenient but I was so determined to be at home with them I did whatever it took to do the very best job I could. I have been on conference calls while in the bathroom giving the kids a bath. I have called in from school lines, school cafeterias. I think the bottom line is you have to WORK HARD in both arenas to be able to do it. Working from home is not for the lazy or undisciplined person.
One thing I would suggest is let your house work for you. I always try to have the dishwasher and washing machine going while I work. It is one thing I can get done without having to do physically be there. The folding and putting away gets done later but at least the washing can be done.
The other thing is it is important to take a break for lunch but I feel much more refreshed when I’m productive. Everyday I make a smoothie and then GET STUFF DONE. Yesterday I made granola bars and zucchini bread in my hour. Sometimes I do my grocery shopping. Other times I prep for dinner. More often than not, I get my errands done so I don’t have to have the kids running around with me after school. That lunch hour is my magic hour to fit in stuff.
The other thing I would say is GET UP EARLY. If you can manage to get to bed at a decent time, I’m SO much more productive in the morning. I can’t tell you how good it feels to start the day dressed and ready, perhaps chores like tending to the garden or pool are done or having their lunches prepared early.
I also use conference calls to get stuff done. I figure if I were in the office like other people, I would be sitting in a room so why not get some other things done instead? Those are the times I take to declutter my counter or put the dishes up or fold a load of clothes. All these tiny cracks in my day are filled with making my household run.
By doing these things, I can leave the time in the evenings to pushing the kids on the swing, playing school, etc and I don’t feel guilty about the house. The late nights when I have no more energy I’m good with watching TV or blogging.
Oh and one more comment…I used the online grocery shopping yesterday and it was fab.u.lous. So excited about using that in the future. OH, ok, seriously, one more thing. We have a house cleaner that comes in twice a month and it is the BEST THING EVER. Of course I still clean a lot in between but it is totally worth saving my Saturday mornings from cleaning.
Wow, I’ve written a post. Sorry to hog your comments!
These are fan-tas-tic, Amy!! yes to all of them – I do all of those as well! :)
My favorite part though is this, “I think the bottom line is you have to WORK HARD in both arenas to be able to do it. Working from home is not for the lazy or undisciplined person.”
Amen -it takes much discipline, focus and commitment to the hours you have to make it all add up to a full time job. I love my work. I love my family. And I work super hard at the balance in order to give sufficient attention to both.
Thanks sooo much for the great feedback – I think you do need to write a blog post!
What a blessing to work from home! I work outside full time, plus now going back to school. I have three children 14 (going on 18!) 9 (going on 13!) and 6 month old. Life is so chaotic and the laundry stays on permanent pile up, we have a dishwasher so the dishes get cleaned! God hasn’t led us to a way I can work from home, so for now this is his plan and I will rest in it. Thank you so much for all your post!
“This is his plan and I will rest in it” – wise, powerful words, Janet. For years and years I worked outside the home too. And like you, I rested in knowing it was God’s good plan for us. And that’s what helped me get through the long commutes and daycare and crazy schedules. Walking in God’s plan – it’s the only place to be, really.
Cheering you on!
Thanks Jo for this post.
As a photographer I spend a lot of time working from home and its so easy to work into the evenings to get editing finished for clients, then deal with emails from them too.
I’m learning to clock of at 5pm or earlier if I have been very busy, and I dont do any work on Saturday afternoons and Sunday. (Well as much as I can)
People think that working from home is easy and fun, but it not you dont have that interaction with people and I do miss that!
Rachel Baker? Seriously? That’s my name too :) I’m Rachel Lisa-Jo Baker. How wild. And howdy! And yes, agreed with how much discipline and focus working at home takes. Right there with you!
Thanks for all the tips. I am looking into starting my own business and this has given me more to think about. Blessings!
I so needed to read this, i am finding the balance hard to get, between motherhood, my job as a foster mom and also my writing and theology study. I do get my days free when the kids are at school but i get distracted by chores etc.
I loved the idea of getting myself ready to work at home as many of times i just put my scruffs on and this maybe a way of stopping the distractions. I mean I’m not going to sweep the dog hair up in work clothes.
Thank you for the insight in your life and of course this just makes me love you more x
Yup, getting dressed seems to help the mental shift to “work time” – at least for me. And I just close my door and ignore the rest of the chaos; dog hair included :)
Thank you so much for this, for me I find #2 to be screamingly helpful today. For the last year I’ve been hinting at my husband that I would to have some designated me space to work in the house and this week I’m going to go buy that computer armoire for our kitchen and have an official “office” space.
Question: I live with a 1 and (almost) 3 year old, no pets, and they seem to get into everything I’m working on all the time. How have you taught your kids that most of the playroom is your but your desk is YOUR DESK and they aren’t to bang on your laptop or scatter your desk contents across the house?
Yes, that’s been essential. The “teaching” may have involved a lot of hysterical screaming and death threats from me on occasion :) Ha! But seriously, lots of very strong instruction and time outs etc for even touching mommy’s desk. I found giving them their own desk was key here. And often my 4 yr old will ask me if I’m going to go and work on my desk so that he can work on his too :)
Thanks! Just to be safe I’m looking on craig’s list for one with doors and a lock ;)
This was very helpful! I work from home, but my situation is a little different, since I teach music lessons from our home office every afternoon. It’s a challenge, that’s for sure! I tried having my three-year-old in the office with me, and finding quiet activities for her to do, but…how shall I put this? She’s loud. Really, really loud. lol :-) Piano lessons + noisy toddler = chaos. She now just plays in the living room while I teach…not the best. Sometimes I’ll put on a VeggieTales video if I’m really desperate, but again, not the best. :-/ My baby sleeps through most of my lessons right now, but that is going to change once the morning nap goes away. Plus, baby#3 is arriving in August!
One thing that has worked for me is trading time with some of my older students – I’ll teach them for free if they volunteer a couple of hours of their time to watch the kiddos. However, I think I’m going to have to break down and hire a full-time sitter come Fall.
Oh, and other things that have worked for us: making sure all food cabinets are baby-proofed, lots of fruit snacks, and bungie cords. OK, so I’m kidding on the last one. Maybe.
#5 and 9 – these are my biggest struggles with working from home. I’m not at a point yet where I’m willing to hire help {though I’m getting closer}. And my “quitting time” has started getting later and later the past few weeks.
Oh, and I do try to homeschool while working from home and being a blogger and writing books. It’s definitely a juggling act!
I’ve found my “saving grace” to be my “computer free” weekends. I’ll still get online occasionally via my phone or iPad, but I refuse to turn my computer on for 48 hours {minimum} most weekends. It’s a breathe of fresh air after sitting at the computer for five days straight!
Yes, that down time away from computer on the weekends is a must for mental sanity for me too.
I work from home, but don’t have help. So, I have to fit my worktime in the wee hours of the morning and during naptime- provided it happens. My three-year-old is beginning to make the naptime working pretty difficult. It’s definitely a juggling act. But, like you, I finally learned to turn a blind eye and pretend I’m not OCD and that laudry pile right over there in my bedroom, where my computer is, can wait and the floors can be vacuumed later. Still, my job allows me to be the primary caregiver to my kids AND bring in income. No better job than that for me.
Katrina that sounds like my situation, working from home, my dining room table is now my desk in the corner of my bedroom, and I work during nap time or in the middle of the night. And try to ignore the laundry. But it is a blessing to get to be home what my son wakes up from his nap, or when the older ones stay home sick from school, I’m there for them. I’m so thankful for God’s provision in my work-from-home job!
AmyMay it’s so hard to work the crazy hours, right? But definitely worth it to be there for my kids when they need me. I completely agree with you! Good luck to you!
Thanks Katrina, blessings to you as well!
I probably should be doing many more of these.
Maybe as I am self employed as opposed to having colleagues and co-workers in an office I can be a bit more flexible with my time. However I know I would be much more productive if I took on some of your tips.
I happened to be blogging about “a day in my life” on my blog today, so if you wish you could take a peak and see what a jewellery designer in Ireland’s day looks like :)
Thanks for sharing and keeping it real too! Love the pics with the doodles.
Question – when do you do your own blogging – is it incorporated into your working day, or is it an after work activity?
Late, late night. Usually between 9pm and midnight are my personal blogging hours :)
I LOVED {and needed} this post. I work from home it seems like round-the-clock in one aspect or another. I spend days working for myself writing, blogging, freelancing, and transcribing church sermons. I spend evenings working as an employee doing medical transcription. I also have three biological children (one still at home while the others are at school) and I’m a foster mama who is simultaneously working on three book projects. Yowzers. It makes me tired just typing that all out. It’s taken me 8 years, but I’ve learned a lot about managing/balancing it all based on my priorities. I’m lucky that I can have a lifestyle/work life that I’ve sort of designed while also contributing to the family financially. It’s plain hard work to stay focused at home (especially for an ADD-girl like me whose husband also works from home) but it’s worth drawing some lines in the sand. I don’t mess with social media while I’m on the clock and I don’t answer or even check work e-mails during family time. Today, I get to surprise my daughter on her school field trip by joining her for lunch. I also have to let things go. My floors are in desperate need of mopping, all my family’s socks go into one sad basket, never to be paired. Well worth the sacrifice, I’d say. :)
Socks are my nemesis
Oh, thank you for this post! I am in the process of learning how to work from home as I pursue two of my passions, writing and photography. It is slow coming but I am taking the baby steps in the directions that He leads.
You are a constant source of inspiration and encouragement in this high and holy calling Lisa-Jo, and I thank you ;)
Oh and at the risk of wearing out my welcome here… Amen on the “you have to work extremely hard to work at home” front. I get soooo many people who see what I do and want me to lead them down the same path. I work a dozen times harder at home than I ever did in an office, where I could focus on one.thing.at.a.time and not have boogers wiped on me during a conference call, have to take a work break to wipe a butt, or have six-thousand interruptions during one simple task (mostly involving plastic playthings, sibling rivalry, or bodily fluids of one sort or another). I usually invite people to take a long, hard work at what I do and at my paycheck and decide if it’s worth it. Many of them decide that working in an office is just fine for now, thankyouverymuch. So…it’s a blessing and a joy and I wouldn’t trade it for all the money/peace/productivity in the world, but it’s just darn difficult!!
Amen!
Thank you, thank you, for this post! I’m writing from my desk in my corner of our chaotic playroom as my son plays “drums” on the tin lid of the Tinkertoys, and I feel like it just might be possible to get something done here now that I know you are doing it too! I do have one question: I’m buried in paperwork here at my desk (mostly home stuff). You said that you only do work-related things at your desk. Does that include home-management tasks, or do you do those somewhere/somehow else? And how do you do that?
Thanks for your constant honesty and encouragement, Lisa-Jo. I enjoy my morning cup of coffee with you!
I stink at home management tasks – particularly anything related to mail. I have two Christmas gifts I still haven’t returned even though I finally got around to printing out the FedEx labels. You can’t win ’em all. And this is the area where my husband takes the lead – thankfully for all of us!
These are great tips. For seven years, my husband and I have juggled our work schedules (we’re both full time: him, a campus minister, and me, a lecturer of college public speaking and writing) and our kids (we have three of them, too.)
I also blog and am finishing my first book, and it’s very tiring. The best thing for me has been to set boundaries. Not always easy, but so necessary. You simply can’t work ALL the time.
whew. girl.
I am still trying to figure this one out.
So, THANK YOU for penning this one.
hugs, friend!
of course i love this post, i love all your posts! it’s like you’ve known me forever and each post is like a note of encouragement to say, “it’s ok colleen, i’ve been there too. look at my life. if i can do it, so can you.” and then i smile and i press on. because it’s so much easier to press on when you know that you’re not alone. you are officially my new best friend. welcome to the chaos i call life. it may be a bit disorganized, there may be a dozen to-do lists, and my desk (ok, my living room) may be cluttered at times, but its not always like that. sometimes, yes sometimes, it’s much, much worse…
happy tuesday!!!
Right back atcha :)
Just wanted to quickly say: You Rock! Thank you for sharing your real life with us and how you do it. This is encouraging and helpful.
Blessings, Kristin
You inspire me. I’m going to create regular work hours, at least for the summer! I am! I am!
BTW…Panera. Unless you live close to St. Louis, in which case you’d just call it “BreadCo.” :)
Panera – Amen.
I too work from home full time. It’s a juggling act. My office is my couch or rocking chair, using my laptop.
Janelle
Can I just say how refreshing it is to see the reality and know that I am not alone. I think that your suggestions are right on.
I myself am home with 4 wee ones and home school. Between the moments of organized chaos (which is just how we roll) I sneak in 5 minutes here and 15 minutes there during the day to work. And then go full tilt after the kids are in bed to usually rack up over 40 hours per week. All for the love of my art and starting my business. I hope one day I will be in a place where I can hire help. But the fact that I work so hard is because I believe in what I am doing. Which is why so many of us juggle to the point that we do.
So, between nursing, wiping up spills, educating my three older children and of course trying to remember to LIMIT my time in social media and focus on the goals for my work, I manage to get things done. Of course, I don’t have a sitter (boy I sure wish I did) but I do have an incredibly supportive hubby and very amazing 10 old son who do their best to lend a hand. So, I feel very blessed indeed.
I love this post! My office is in the corner of our bedroom (right next to the elliptical machine :), and it is currently home to a stack of art my girls have done for me during my work time, magnets that we use for school science, the tail of a My Little Pony that needs to be reattached, various hair clippies, and a box of Hello Kitty bandaids.
Working from home has forced me to a level of self-discipline that I probably would never have reached otherwise. Not that I have arrived, by any means, but I’m making progress. The most important lesson I have learned is that working nights and weekends does not work for me. When I guard that time off, I am much more productive in the time I do sit down at my desk!
I also worked from home for a number of years – some great advice here.
Thanks for this candid peek into like, and helpful tips! I’ve been at it for just ~9 months and these ideas will help me kick it up a notch for some bigger, pending projects.
I enjoyed seeing your post from the worker’s perspective. I work as a nanny for a work-at-home mom, four days a week, seven hours a day, so all I know is the baby-sitter’s perspective. I like knowing I can be part of the family’s life and help their mom be able to go to the “office” when she needs to, but also be able to step back and let kids hang out with her during lunchtime, snack time, or cuddle time during the day. It’s a nice rhythm once you get it down. And I don’t mind doing dishes, either. Anything to help…it’s what I’m there for. :)
I try to get out of the house everyday. Sometimes that means just running to the mailbox or the store. It sounds simple but several days can easily slip by when you work from home and you have never left the house.
I work from home 1 day a week, and this is incredibly helpful for me! I might condense what you wrote and print it out to hang on my desk at home as a reminder.
I can certainly agree that getting out for lunch is the best thing ever! I eat lunch at my desk on the 4 days that I am at work, but I do try to step away on my 1 day at home. It really helps break up the day a bit.
Thank you for posting this!
Love this view off your space and the wisdom of your words!!!
So much fantastic information about how to work from home and not lose your mind :)
I too work in and around my family, and was also homeschooling. Recently our boys did go back to school so its a little bit easier to get things done in school hours After I pick my boys up from School I devote my attention to them until they are in bed. Then I am able to get a few more hours of work done before bed.
On the weekends we are out exploring so I never make the time to sit and work – I try to limit Facebook and twitter as well.
We are also about to do a few weekends away with camping – and I have asked to go where there is no power so we can have fun familiy times! While we are away I will have work sorted out before hand.
Love your office :)
This was a great post, and fun to take a peak into your life. I have to say that among all this wisdom is the pinnacle of smarts (to me): “I’ve traded perfect for productive. And sometimes productive takes a bit of messy to make the most of a day. I’m finally OK with that. It’s taken me about a decade, three kids, a dog and one hamster. True story.”
This comes from a long hard lesson, I am sure. And it takes some of us 20 years to learn it!
Well…this just cinches it for me. YOU ARE A GENIUS. I gotta hand it to you, – a great big, LOUD hand, applauding. A.Ma.Zing. I had 3 kids in 4 years, chose to stay home with them and I barely managed to survive with sanity intact. (and sometimes I question that). NO way I could have worked full time. I added lots of stuff in, including tons of volunteer work and craft projects up the wazoo, but actual, paid work?? From my home? From my kids’ play room? I’m amazed that you can do all that you do and I’m very grateful that you’re wise enough to hire help and that you have a flexible husband. We do make help make it possible for our daughter-in-law to work half time as a physician by keeping the youngest one 2 days a week and picking up the older one at school those days. But she doesn’t work FROM HER HOME. The age of miracles is not over, that is clear. Thanks so much for writing this down – and for illustrating it all so beautifully.
Can I just say.. my husband saw your pictures of your playroom and thought it was ours. I guess work from home moms have similar design and storage ideas for our work spaces. :-)
I am so comforted to hear you hire a babysitter. So do I, two days a week, in my home, while I’m working from the basement office. I was reading through this post wondering how you can do all of this successfully without some childcare help, and if you can, then why can’t I? And then I got to #5 and felt like I’d just found a sister. Love this post! Cheers for the work-from-home moms!
I can really relate to your blog, I have two kids too and they are working with me. My office at home looks like a playground!
I don’t even work full-time, but this post brought me so much comfort. Maybe a little chaos is okay. :) I love your tip to just turn a blind eye to it when you need to be productive. Sometimes a little mess IS necessary.
I’m so glad you blog.
I have a little different set up but the same struggles. I work in an office 3 days a week and at home 2 days a week. I work odd hours, 630-300 which lets me only miss mornings. And I get them in the afternoons. And I’m no where near as tired as I was when I worked 4, 10 hour days.
This summer will be a challenge because the oldest 2 will be here while I work. My mom is helping me keep an eye on them. Lord help us! lol. I have crafts planned, lots of outside time, a kiddie pool, hopefully a new trampoline….keep them moving!
As for balance, work at home, work at an office, there’s the struggle for balance. I accepted that in our situation, I have to work. It is what it is. What’s been key for me has been finding the happy in that situation. I can dwell or I can make it work for us. I’ve made it work for us with a flexible schedule, an alternative schedule, banking my leave and using it and just always keeping that family as a priority. I can have a career and a family. I hate when people seem to think you can’t have a job and still be an awesome mom. Why not?!?
This is all so scattered but I work at the kitchen table. I can’t see the TV. I can hear my radio. It’s not facing the dishes or the laundry room. That helps me stay focused. Our desk is a mess all the time but I can clear the table, wipe it down and I have a huge work space just for me. I’ve also found that I do better when I set goals for myself. I’m going to finish this, this, and this. I have an idea of the time I need. I also build in a few minutes of “break” time often for me because I know that you have to rest your brain a bit or your work starts to slip.
In the fall, my 2 oldest will be in school (kindy and first) and the baby goes to a sitter, even on my work days (literally, 1/8th of a mile up the street with family friend). I have an awesome support system. And when school starts back, I plan to add someone coming in twice a month to clean. For my sanity. It’s ok to need and want help. It took me a long time to realize that. I don’t know why its hard for us to admit that we DO need help sometimes.
I worked outside the home as a public health nurse when my two kids were growing up. But when they started to push the age of being too old for a sitter and too young to be alone–and one becoming quite a challenge–I came home to work as a medical transcriptionist and editor. I worked in the basement, in “the dungeon,” but I had a big white desk to brighten things up. I could close the door on everything–coming and going–but the work was also flexible. I took breaks to pop laundry in or start dinner.
Now that I’m trying to pursue writing full-time, I still struggle with balance. You’d think I’d have this down at my age, but I still have the majority of care for my almost 10-year-old granddaughter and my house is still a mess and I have oh so less energy. I’m still working on the declutter thing–unloading everything I don’t need or absolutely love so there’s less to take care of.
Oh, and right now I’m working at the kitchen table on my laptop surrounded by books and bills and school papers because the second grandgirl’s pack-n-play has taken over my used-to-be-my-son’s-room office.
Where were you 20 years ago when I needed you? xoxo
Correction…I still need you.
What an awesome post! I discovered your blog today via my Google News alerts – so glad I did.
I’ve been working from home (and from various countries) for the past six+ years and have loved every minute of it. When I was younger and trying to figure out what my ideal lifestyle would be I used to dream of not having to live by an alarm clock, or work on someone else’s schedule. The universe conspired with me a few years ago to create a portable business (virtual assistant) that allowed me to travel and still earn an income, doing something that I loved, and I’ve never looked back.
I’m very fortunate in that I have a husband who not only understands what I do and why but is also my business partner. We’ve grown our family by +1 (we have a little girl who is now almost four) and have continued to grow our business in various directions.
Letting go of ‘perfect’ and delegating things within my own household was probably my biggest challenge – learning that my husband could (and would willingly) pick up the slack in many areas I was otherwise trying to manage alone has been an ongoing lesson for me. Things run pretty smoothly around here for the most part (Google Calendar is my best friend and I actually schedule reminders for literally everything, including laundry) but yeah, there’s always a huge pile of clothes waiting to be washed and you’ll find the clean dishes you need in the dishwasher rather than the cupboard many days because when I weigh my work/life balance dishes and socks just don’t make it to the top of the list.
My daughter started preschool last fall – three mornings a week for four hours at a time – and I maximize those hours for work and household things as best I can. Having that block of time has helped a lot.
We’ve also found that not having television in our house is a huge time saver – haven’t had one for at least seven years and in that time we’ve built our little empire.
Your post reminded me of how challenging, but deeply rewarding, it is to be the master of your own ‘now’ (not to mention destiny) AND be able to actively participate in parenting, family life, personal interests, etc. instead of sitting in transit to and from ‘work’, missing out on what really matters in life. Thank you! Looking forward to keeping up with your blog.
I needed to read this to feel like I am NOT alone. Its summer already at my house (We don’t homeschool) and I’m already going crazy. By the way, where do you get one of those really awesome babysitters that you speak of? Send one over here to Mississippi. K, Thanks!
I work from home – and have for years, and I think your points are all fantastic. I definitely couldn’t do it without my wonderful mother and MIL who have watched my kids when they weren’t in school several days a week. My biggest struggle is that my office is in the loft of our house and since it’s out of sight, it often becomes the “clutter zone.” I’m working hard on getting it cleaned up and not letting anything we want to “hide” come up there!
Thank you!!! I’d love to hear the podcast, but it’s not working. Can you post the link again?
It is my first time here and I’d like to tell you that I absolutely love your blog! I’ll be back for more! :)
Thanks so much for this great article! I have been trying to work from home and not feeling like I can succeed to the point of considering shutting down my ecommerce website. I think I will try to implement your suggestions as much as I can with school ending for summer and hope that I will be in good work habits by the next school year!
Thanks again!
Great post. “I’ve traded perfect for productive.” I love that and I’m going to put it up on a sign in my home workspace!
This was really encouraging. I found myself saying, “I could do that!” and, “Soup? I love soup!” Thanks for these sanity-saving suggestions,
Cannot tell you HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS! My little one is 6 weeks old and I’m starting to try to figure out how to get everything done… P/T child care – although my sitter, while awesome, doesn’t do laundry – is wonderful, as is my amazing husband. BUT. I think the most important thing I am taking away from your post is not to let it all get to me. Since I can’t possibly manage it all anyway, letting it get to me is only going to make things much, much worse. :-) Thank you.
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{Kathy} Your post was amazing. It was practical and enlightening. I have only been working from home for about a year and I can already see patterns that need to be tweaked. Thank you so much.
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