Working at Home with the Others
I live at work.
I work at home.
Sometimes one overtakes the other. Working at home is usually great, but since it’s my home, I share it with other people, namely my family.
I would not bring my family to work. No offense, guys. I’ve also made an effort not to bring work home with me, (ironic, huh?) not letting it take over time meant for my family.
Most of the time, when I’m working, my family members are gone, at school, at work, at camp — you know, where they belong. It’s when one of them is here, that I become acutely aware that I live where I work. I don’t like it when they’re home, on a day off when I’m working. It throws everything out of balance.
I need my office space. I do have a dedicated home office. No one is allowed to cross the threshold without my express permission. Nothing but my work takes place in my office. It is the one way I can keep the two separate. I do not, however, have a kitchen or a restroom in my home office. I must venture into other areas of the house a few times a day, and that’s when I encounter those non-colleagues hanging out in what I’ve come to think of as my workplace (the whole house, during work hours) while I’m trying to work.
How dare they be having fun, loafing around, not working?
If you work at home, how do you get through those days when the others are around?
July 26th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
It’s hard, it really is. Luckily, my work hours decrease to only 1-3/day, so I have more flexibility. I plan ahead and come up with activities for the children so that they’ll be occupied when I’m occupied. They understand that if they let me do what I need to do, then we’ll all do something fun, like go to the park or the library.
July 27th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
That’s a great strategy. I will have to seriously plan for that week right before school starts again. The girl will be at home and I will be working every day. It might be a good time to take a vacation day, just to preserve my sanity — and hers.