NFIB

Home Office Scheduling
04/ 03/ 2002


For those who don't know better, life in a home office seems like a vacation -- a utopia where comfort, flexibility and relaxation rule. But, as Workshop contributor Bob Graham suggests, working at home actually requires a little added discipline to maintain the balance -- and distinction -- between home and office.

A number of my friends are jealous that I work at home, saying my house should look perfect, the chores should get done efficiently and my wife must love dinner on the table each evening when she gets home. They fantasize, as I used to, about working for themselves when they wanted, without bosses looking over their shoulders, traffic making it hard to get to the office on time, countless meetings keeping them from their work.

But working at home requires a special skill -- discipline. Because without discipline, productivity can take a nose dive, sending a business into a tailspin. Following are some hints to help develop a successful discipline for home work:

Create a real office. Just like a kitchen is for cooking, the bedroom for sleeping, the laundry room for clothes washing, it's important to have an office for working. One of the best things I have done is converted a bedroom into an office, where I go when I have to work. I don't conduct business in any other part of the house, and my family respects that space as my office.

Set a schedule. I get to "the office" by 9 a.m. and usually work until about 6 p.m., unless I need to work overtime to meet a deadline. This schedule is based on my need for sleep and my wife's work hours, which have her arriving at home at about 6 p.m.

Avoid off-hour visits. As tempting as it can be, try to avoid going to "the office" during off hours. Even though there's no drive to your home office, the potential exists for using the office as an excuse to avoid chores or other tasks.

Plan for changes. If my wife has time off from work, I try to arrange my work schedule so I either can take the day off or can get free for a few hours in the afternoon. We discuss this in advance to prevent hurt feelings or false expectations for the day. This works well with children. I recently had a nephew visit, and we agreed that if he allowed me to work until noon, we would do something fun for the afternoon. We both enjoyed both ends of the deal.

Accept the limitations. No plan is perfect. There are going to be days when diversions -- a service call, out-of-town guests, sick children -- interfere with your plans. Keep track of the hours you miss and try to make them up at night or on the weekend, explaining to the family that it's no different than any other job.

Keep a log. Document for yourself and others what you do when so you can determine if there is a pattern of problems or so others can see how much can be done if a disciplined person just happens to be working in a home office.

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