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By Sarah Elsley
If you're one of the lucky ones who is fortunate enough to be able to work at home (like I do), you may have already settled into a very comfortable, custom fit routine that works just right for you and your family. If you're a work at home mom you may feel very grateful for your new home-based lifestyle.
But if your "virtual" career is fairly new to you or still isn't working quite right, the problem may be a simple case of missing boundary syndrome.
Many people view their home-based career as a lifestyle of complete freedom, flexibility, and comfort, and it's true that a home-based career truly can afford you all of these luxuries every single work day. But don't place too much emphasis on the word 'home' and not enough emphasis on the word 'work'.
Even if you get work from your own home and enjoy flexible hours and total freedom, it is important to your happiness and the well-being of your family to set some boundaries. Ironically, Complete and total freedom is not as pleasurable as a well-balanced life with boundaries.
Be sure that your work environment is suitable for your home-based job and your own personal satisfaction:
- Establish a designated work area that is used exclusively for your job and is suited to your requirements. Some of these items may seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how many people never take the time to actually design their special home workspace. Be sure you have good lighting. Be sure you have comfortable seating and desk space that encourages, not discourages, concentration. Be sure you have an environment that is quiet. Be aware that working in front of a window can be a surprisingly secret distraction and deterent to work. Make rules so that your family does not interfere with your work space. If possible, be sure that your work area is used exclusively for your job or business, so you can "go there" and "leave there" every day, allowing yourself mental separation from your work. Consider the use of color to affect your mood... calming neutrals or cool greens to soothe and calm or vibrant reds or oranges to stimulate and excite. Take the time necessary to set up an organizational system for your work so your homebased career is pleasurable, not chaotic, and buy the supplies necessary to help you enjoy your work and function most effectively, as well as to maintain professionalism. (Just because you work at home doesn't mean you shouldn't be professional!)
- Establish a work routine. While freedom is indeed wonderful, too much freedom can be chaotic, counter-productive and depressing. Most people find themselves more effective and much happier if they set a routine in which they work. If you work from your home, designate a regular time schedule, even if you don't have to. This will allow you to control your life much better and have a the satisfaction of both starting and completing your job. If you want to build into your routine a walk through the park with your kids or lunch outside on the picnic table, great! But you and your family will greatly benefit from knowing that from this time o'clock to that time o'clock, you'll be working.
- Teach your family to respect your work at home lifestyle and take your responsibilities seriously. Sometimes, especially if you're a stay at home parent, it is absolutely crucial that you have the cooperation of your family to help create a quiet environment so you can perform.
- Always work as hard on your job as you would if you had a boss standing over you. Obviously, if you work at your own kitchen table your boss won't work near you; in fact he may be thousands of miles away from where you work, but there are other very important reasons why you'll want to work just as hard as if he was standing there. Whether you work from home or in an outside workplace, your work has an enormous effect on your ego and self-esteem. In some home-based jobs it may seem easy to try to get away with something as you enjoy working unsupervised, but you'd only be cheating yourself. Work hard and do the best you can. Your self-esteem will be that of a person who works hard, provides for his or her family as best he or she can, and at the end of the day, leaves work feeling satisfied that they did their best. Cheat at your job and your self-esteem will be that of a cheater. That's no great prize.
So if you're lucky enough to have a home-based job, go that extra step and kick it up a notch. Sometimes a little structure, a few family policy changes, a new filing cabinet and a nice coat of paint can make all the difference on how much you enjoy and take full advantage of your home-based opportunities.
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