“Modern technologies, such as e-mail, blur the boundaries between work and home…” – Thomas Moore, A Life at Work
99.9% of the time, working at home is a real blessing. Your commute lasts between two and seven seconds, depending on the location of your workspace relative to your bedroom, you can work in your pajamas or sweatpants – or nothing if you are feeling extra saucy – and the best perk of call, you can make your own hours.
But what does it really mean for your ability to relax and separate work from play when your home sanctuary is also the location of your toil?
I’ve been working at home for just about four month now, and every time I get an opportunity to talk about it I gush. For me, someone who rejects the structure and form of a conventional office, working from home is a real dream. But when I read Thomas Moore’s statement regarding the blending of work and home, I took a step back.
On the one hand, as someone who advocate doing work you love and is meaningful to you, I want work and home to blend. Authentic work is a meaningful part of life and should therefore be something we carry with us through out the day and night, not shut the door on at five o’clock.
However, on the other hand, it can be difficult to relax when you share the same space for leisure as you spend for work. Because I live in a one bedroom apartment at the moment, my desk is in my living room - when I get up and take a break I walk about ten steps, plop down on the couch, and flick on the tube – in full view of the computer and desk and piles of papers and books. Most of the time this doesn’t bother me, but sometimes I feel like I have to get out of the room, or out of the apartment entirely when I am seeing to step away from my work to clear my head and ruminate about an issue.
Because the truth is the boundary between work and play is essential for keeping a work-at-homer’s stress levels down, productivity up, and ability to enjoy non-work time. Even if you love your job there needs to be a separation, and many who work at home find that separation hard to define.
I don’t have Blackberry or any other type of phone that can hook into my email or the internet – and this is purposeful. Sometimes I really want one (they are SO fabulously gadgety and chic!), but I always talk myself out of it. If working at home blurs the line between work and relaxation/recharging, then what does an e-mail phone do? It blurs the line between work and just about every other facet of life. You can have it on at the gym, on a date, in a movie, at your parent’s house, at a wedding – and due to our Blackberry culture it is somehow acceptable for someone to answers, email, and scroll through data on a Blackberry in any of these occasions.
If you work at home now, or are considering working from home, think about the conditions you work it and how it affects other areas of your life. Are you happy with the way your workspace is set up in relation to the other areas of your home? Is it easy for you to concentrate there? How about to get into a state of work-flow?
Here are some tips about creating a home office that will help you take the best advantage of working at home while also leave some minuscule – and essential - definition of a boundary between work and home:
- Try to place your home office in a room that is separated from the other main areas of the house. Guest bedrooms, formal and unused parlors, and bedrooms of kids who have flown the nest are great options. The key is someplace off the beaten track of everyday home life (ie. away from the kitchen, bedroom, and living room), and someplace that has a door that you can open and close to further define its purpose (office is open for business right now, office is closed for the end of the work day, etc).
- If you don’t have the luxury of an extra room (like me), try to make a clear definition between your workspace and the rest of the shared room. For example, in my apartment, my desk is not against the wall but facing out to the rest of the room, creating a little office alley-way that spatially defines the workspace.
- When you are taking a break or done working for the day, close the laptop or turn off the monitor so you can concentrate on other things and not be distracted by new emails or website updates.
- Have an honest discussion with the other members of your household about respecting your working space and working hours – you are not off limits, but not free to chit-chat and hang out….it is called WORK at home, not SIT at home for a reason…
- If you find your home responsibilities are taking too much time from working at home then be sure to make a schedule where you pencil in specific work time – having it written down is much more effective than saying “I’ll get to that later.”
Anyone got other work at home suggestions?
The bottom line is this – many Uncommoners and entrepreneurs are able to work at home and enjoy it immensely. But we just all need to remember that life is about both authenticity AND balance, and that means balance in all things. If you feel the lines between work and home and too blended, take some steps to correct it. Just a few tweaks here and there can make a big difference in your productivity, ability to rest, and stress level!
If you are interested in learning the basics of working from home, check out my three part series at Bright Hub:
Part 1: How to Get Your Boss to Let Your Work from Home
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Good article… I like the idea of setting strict time limits for a task. When the time is up the work is done. The computer gets turned off and I can then move back into my home.
This can be very helpful in creating balance.
Kevin
I agree with all these suggestions. I have been full time work at home for over 4 years now and have a 6 & 4 yr old and 2 month old. My wife is stay at home mom. We have to have clear distinctions between DAD working and not working. I have the luxury of an office so it makes it easier. Everyone knows when I am in the office and the doors are closed , do not disturb. With that being said I am in IT and have always carried a cell phone as I have had to be available 24×7. So I learned fast to set boundaries and try to enjoy life and work together. Being Home now 4+ years I have to say I do miss the office and the human interaction. But not having to commute on a day like today, snow and -10 windchill, makes the at home thing much nicer. It isn’t for everyone and you have to be very disciplined. I know others who work at home but they should be classified as goof off at home. If your boss is smart you won’t get away with that for long.
Excellent points. While some people (especially those in business) struggle for a work/life balance, people who work from home often struggle for a work/life separation. Both are important in my opinion.
Also, just because you work independently doesn’t mean you have to work from home! People often assume the two necessarily go together.
Twitter: evanhadkins
If you can afford it invest in a screen or an old sheet. Cover up the computer and desk so that you don’t see it.
It sounds lame but it made a big difference.
Excellent points one and all – Evan, I like your idea of removing the entire visual – I might need to try that.
Barry, that was a really interesting point about the independent work – would love to hear more about non-work-at-home independent working!
I’m with Nacie in that the office is in the living room. I’ve decluttered over the holiday break, which has helped, but now I need to work on making an office/relax divide. Maybe that sheet will help, Evan.