Rhythm and Routine in my Work at Home Scene
Picture this: I was standing in the bathroom cleaning out my toddler’s potty with my headset on, trying to balance the potty while pressing mute so my client wouldn’t hear my four-year-old’s toy truck beeping. After getting them settled with the babysitter again, I sat back at my desk when I heard the water boiling over on the stove and the dog scratching at the back door. “That’s not my job right now. This is my job right now.”, I said to myself as I turned back to my work. Just then, my aging neighbor rang the door bell and I overhear, “My car seems to have rolled right into your car which seems to have rolled into a utility pole.”
Where does the work come into this work at home situation? — I asked myself.
I had just taken a major plunge and left my job in the customer service department of a major credit card company. I joined a company offering a home business opportunity where I sold nutritional products from my home. I had a ton of groundwork to get through and I couldn’t seem to get much uninterrupted time to do it in. ‘Why did I want to work from home? How did I think this could work?’ I was questioning everything.
My questioning got me thinking about my old job. How did I get work done there? There, I had my own cubicle. A desk, drawers, computer, phone. A line where my office started and where it ended. There we had daily briefs and weekly meetings. There we had set work periods and set break times.
“OK- I thought, so I need to figure out which of that stuff will help to keep me organized now that I’m working from home.”
So- first, since my ‘office’ was a corner of the dining room, I hung up a sheet to delineate my ‘office’ space. Anyone needing me had to knock (on the wall or sheet) to enter. Since I get easily distracted, when there are other people at home I wear ear plugs to help me tune out other noises. I take regular breaks to be with the kids and the dog and I’m ‘off-limits’ when not on break. My husband can call or email me when I’m working. Somehow, that seems to distract me less than if he interrupts me in person.
Since it’s just me running the show, I take a few minutes every AM first thing to write a list of all I want to accomplish that day. On Fridays, before I wrap up for the weekend, I reflect on the week and think about my goals for the next week.
Now that I’m a couple of months into it, I love it!! I love having no commute. I love seeing my kids and dog more often (and of course my loving and supportive husband too). I love eating lunch in my own kitchen, or weeding my garden during a mid morning break. It definitely took some time to work out the kinks, but it was well worth it! I found rhythm and routine in my work at home scene!