Separating Work from Home
Well what can I say… this is still something I struggle with.
Working from home definitely has it’s challenges. There is also the problem of people not taking you seriously when you say you need to go to work! You just work from home so can’t you do what you want? And the distractions are endless not to mention the different noises like barking dogs and neighbors grinding that you don’t hear when your in an office.
So if you resonate with my struggles here are a few tips that I use to try and keep the balance.
The four Burner Theory
When I read Winging it by Emma Isaacs I realised my crazy life was actually pretty normal! Emma juggles being a CEO of a successful business and has five kids! She talks about a theory where you imagine your life as a four burner stove, representing four areas of your life. Family, friends, work and health. I think I could add in there a few more burners like running a house and fun stuff!
If you want to stay on track it is next to impossible to have all four burners going at once! I totally agree! When I’m flat out at work I choose quick easy meals which means they are usually not the healthiest choices. Or I have a fun filled weekend with my friends but then I haven’t achieved much in my office. What I took from this was that we can’t have everything perfect all the time. Something has to give… so we need to stop being so hard on ourselves. When your feeling overwhelmed stop and think… do I have all my burners turned on?
2. Set up your space
Make your office a safe space that you enjoy being in, hopefully that you can close the door to block out the noises. I spent a few months sharing my office with the kids Lego. I can’t tell you how much better I felt when I took back my space! My office is my happy place now that I have filled it with plants (fake ones at this stage) and photos that make me smile.
3. Time blocking
Time blocking is a concept I took from my hairdressing days. Our day was planned out with client appointments that we stuck to as best we could. I have a weekly planner that I fill in all my appointments and photo shoots in and then have my to dos written down to avoid forgetting anything. I have my most important tasks saved in my phone calendar which I have synced to my Asana (project planning app).
When I am feeling overwhelmed I break it down to the next level and block out my days into hour chunks. I work out what’s most important and how long I think it will take me and write it down. I then can gauge how long I need to spend in my office. I use a few hours of my weekend to do washing and cleaning like I would if I was going to work. This is a hard boundary to have in place as it’s so easy to put a load of washing on in work time.
4. Look after yourself!
It’s easier to answer emails and act on things more efficiently when the office is so close but it can be a trap that you don’t want to get stuck in. Make time for yourself to go for a walk, catchup with friends or do something you enjoy. Being in a home office can get lonely so get out and about and enjoy the freedom! Also set boundaries for clients. I use the language I will be in my office from …. so they know what to expect.
I chose to return to my home office for the flexibility and it’s a much shorter commute (ha ha). To be able to work around my kids and be present with them was a big priority.
Thanks to covid working from home for a lot of people is now the new norm, on the positive it gives us more freedom, flexibilty and can also be very rewarding.