Think you want to work at home? I used to think that. The commute is quick, the overhead is low and no one can complain about me wearing yoga pants to work.
When I first started it was great. The boundaries between work life and home life were easily established. I would get up, maybe exercise, feed our dogs, have some breakfast and make sure I was locked in our home office by 8am.
Then something happened. I became busy. Our upstairs turned into a staging/inventory area. My dining room table turned into a conference table. And, my kitchen table turned into a remote station for my laptop as I ate lunch and cooked dinner, as did our couch since I work on my laptop while watching TV.
Suddenly the lines between home and work are blurred.
My father, one of the wisest men I know, has had an accounting firm for over 30 years. Having had the same struggle when he first got started, he recognized this and offered up one of his empty offices to me in return for some marketing work.
I figure if I have a different place to go according to the work I'm doing, I'll be more focused. Day two and I've been incredibly productive. Yesterday, I had an appointment in the morning, came to the office to work on paperwork, billing and return a few phone calls, and then went shopping for a client in the afternoon. I didn't get a chance to work last night due to the Frog game, but maybe it's working.
A friend told me once, "The key to working from home is to shower and get dressed every morning." That's true. And, sound advice just in general. I think I would also add to that, build boundaries. Tall boundaries. With locks.
You may not have a familiy member or friend with an office sitting empty, but you can still create a remote office space. I used to go to coffee shops. Actually, Panera is the best place that I've found to plug in and work. They have outlets at almost every table and the wireless is free and easy to access.
Oh! And, I figured out yet another way that you can get away with wearing yoga pants to work (short of being a yoga instructor)...being the boss' daughter.
Please note the thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are based on the experiences of the author. The information contained in this blog is in no way meant to take the place of professional advice. It is only meant as insight into the world of a small business owner. As always, thank you for visiting and feel free to share your own experiences or conerns by leaving a comment.