GTD When “Work” is at Home

This post also appears on my brand new blog, Productivity @ Home

 

Working at home tends to blur some lines in life.  Office hours are negotiable and the dress code can vary from pajamas to suits.  The other day, I was having a discussion with my almost 13 year old son about television – Adam questioned why Dad and I were allowed to have a TV in our room when he wasn't.  My response was, "When was the last time you saw me go in my room, sit down and watch TV during the middle of the day?"

The correct answer to that question is never (and I won the "Can I get my own TV?" argument too).  There are some essential factors that determine how successful and productive you can be when you work full time from home.  At the onset of each week, in your planning time, determine and schedule into your personal planner the hours that you intend to work for the week.  Whenever possible, try to carve out "work hours" and treat them as though you were leaving your home to go to your place of employment.  If my teenage sons see the door to my office closed, that indicates that Mom is writing and should be interrupted only in the event of an emergency.  Since my husband does a great deal of work at home as well, our family is respectful of the concept of "office hours".  I also tend to try to work very early in the morning (before sleeping teen boys wake) to lessen the amount of time I take away from family activities and responsibilities.

Part of the beauty of working from home is flexibility – the ability to hang a "gone fishing" sign on your office door and take the afternoon off on a perfect summer day.  Some of us who work at home also have the issue of working too much – letting work infringe upon other important aspects of life, which is a topic I'll address in a future blog post. 

Having a pre-scheduled work week and doing your best to stick to your designated work hours will ensure maximum productivity.

Home-work for today:

  • Schedule your "work" hours for this week
  • Discuss with your family your work hour plans for the week and seek their input and buy-in to respect the time you need to spend working

Reading Room Resources:
(blog posts around the web related to today's theme)

By

Lisa Hendey, Catholic wife and mom, is the founder and webmaster of www.CatholicMom.com and the author of A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms: 52 Companions for Your Heart, Mind, Body and Soul and The Handbook for Catholic Moms: Nurturing Your Heart, Mind, Body and Soul. Lisa writes for several online and print publications, enjoys speaking around the country and hosts the Catholic Moments Podcast. Visit her at LisaHendey.com.

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