Blurry Lines

Hi Friends,

Time to take a look at the biggest challenges we face as work-at-home entrepreneurs. Thanks to those of you who took the time to share. I'll be addressing the topics one by one over the next several weeks, along with some suggestions on how to tackle these challenges.

One of you shared that the biggest challenge you face is, "knowing how much is enough work for each day. When you work at an office, once you go home, you know you've done all you could within that time period, but at home where your hours are flexible and you have the availability of your office just down the hallway of your house, it is not always easy to know if you should or should not work a bit into the evening."

I struggled for many years with the blurry lines between home and work. Part of the struggle was due to the fact that I was working from home with preschool-aged children which meant I wasn't always in complete control of my schedule or work environment. (How is it that kids know to get sick when you have a project deadline looming?) The other part of the struggle was that I didn't draw boundaries around my work time by setting office hours. I've done that now and it's made a huge difference.

I work Monday-Friday from 7:45-3:15 (to coincide with my children's school day). After taking a break to greet each child, offer a snack, and listen to them share about their day after they arrive home, I usually spend another 30 minutes wrapping up my day before heading to the kitchen to tackle dinner. I allow myself to go to the gym on Tuesday and Friday mornings and to run errands after my workout on Tuesdays. I occasionally allow myself to work Saturday mornings. Work is off limits on Sundays unless the situation is dire. Oh, I also refuse to answer to my work phone after hours or on weekends. (Remember, we train clients how to treat us. They need to know our boundaries as well.)

Not only have my office hours brought the lines between home and work into focus, it's changed my mental state as well. Instead of feeling like I'm working around the clock (which I was), I now know that there are limits to my work and that I'm in control rather than letting the businss control me. It hasn't always been this way.

As to how to know if you "should or should not work a bit into the evening," here are some questions to ask to help you make the decision:

• Am I on deadline for a project that's due soon?


• Will working tonight take me away from something that's important to one of my family members?


• If I work late tonight, will I be tired and grumpy tomorrow?


• Is the deadline for this project firm, or is it flexible? (If it's flexible, there's no need to kill yourself to finish the project, even if you are a die-hard Type A!)


• Do I feel well-rested and energetic? Or will working tonight simply drain me further?


• What time of day is my best work time? (I personally am freshest in the morning and prefer to do my most important work then.)

If you don't currently have office hours, think about setting them for yourself. And if you have drawn boundaries around your work, please consider posting a comment as to how it's helped your work-at-home life so that we can learn from each other.

Seize the day!