Melissa Rich Author – Your Virtual Home Office Can Be a Reality!

Wow!  This has been a tough week for me.  My daughter has been sick with Influenza B.   Her fever has been consistently above 101 and as of now, the flu has not shown any signs of letting up. 

Even though my daughter has been home all week, I have continued to work diligently from my home office and have remained focused on the tasks at hand.    I have worked from home for ten plus years, so I probably take my working arrangement for granted; but this week, I have given a lot of thought to parents that would be missing work due to a sick child. 

I only wish that I could help all parents find a position or business suitable to their background and skills.

Adhering to business hours from a home office

Lately, the office phone seems to ringing later and later into the evening.  While I am thankful that the phone is ringing and my home based business is growing, I have also found that those calls are steadily nibbling into family time. 

It appears I need to work on adhering better to my established business hours as stated on page 51 of Your Virtual Home Office Can Be A Reality! .  Even though I have had a home office for over ten years, I often find that I need to continually strive to place boundaries on my home life and work life to ensure the proper balance between the two.

Motivation is tough even working from my virtual home office. Ever have those days that you just can’t make yourself do what is needed to fulfill your work requirements. Something that helps me is to walk away from the office and get the blood pumping. Take a walk, go for a bike ride, or just get outside for some fresh air.

Drinking a glass of ice water while working helps keep my head clear and my mind focused. Turn on the tunes. If you are doing work that does not require a quiet area, turn up the music. Figure out what gets your juices flowing and put it into action before getting into a work rut.

One of the great things about working from home is that I never have to take off of work due to bad weather. My commute time is taking a left at the end of the hallway.

Working from home is truly a blessing and even though I have been doing so for 20 + years, I still count my blessings every time I don’t have to get out in the ice and snow.

Even though I don’t have to officially take off work due to weather conditions, I have the flexibility to do so if I want to go and play with the kids.  Working from my virtual home office is one of the best decisions for my career and my family.

It seems like everyone is on the social media sites. You have Facebook, twitter, email and the list goes on and on. It can really be hard to focus on your work once you have these sites open. Sometimes because we work from home, we have a tendency to think it is not as important to keep your focus on work and turn off the distractions.

I make a point to check the sites that are important to me before starting work for the day. I am easily distracted and don’t need to hear about drama while I am working. When working from your virtual home office, you have to pick and choose when it is appropriate to take a phone call or check your social sites. Focus takes work and dedication. If you need help with distractions-check out Melissa’s book- Your Virtual Home Office Can Be a Reality.

When I am working at home in my virtual office, I often struggle with managing my time. It is not always the family or work that causes issues. It can also be the weather, society or general everyday distractions that keep me from performing at my best.

Every morning before I start my work day, I sit down and plan my day by priorities. This allows me to know what has to be done for the day and what could be put off to a later day or evening time when the family is in bed or occupied.

Working from home is wonderful! I cannot say enough about much I have enjoyed my 20 year career of working from home. I do have to say at times it has really been a challenge with those that are closest to me – my family. Children and husbands have a tendency to interrupt during working hours. I have found it best to set up two offices in my home. One is in the mainstream area of the house and the other has a private location for times that I need complete privacy.

I work during the day in the main area for times that don’t need complete quiet this allows me to tend to my two-year-old as she needs. My working rules are when I am in my private office; I am not to be bothered. I make arrangements with other family member to handle the small dramas that come about during that time.

It is so easy to overextend yourself when working from home. You have your business or job working from your home office and then you are asked to volunteer for the school. You think to yourself “That is easy enough, I can do that……it will only take a few hours on Tuesday”. Then you get another call that requests more of your time since you were able to do the first job.

People that do not work from home don’t have the same understanding of the work from home job role. They have a tendency to think you are sitting at home eating bon bons and watching soap operas. Set up working guidelines to keep yourself from over extending your time and alleviating stressful situations.

Setting up a home office is so important. First you will want a quiet place to work without any interruptions. Select a location that is out of the main area of the house and gives you complete privacy when needed. If you are working with small children, using your private office for conference calls or uninterrupted work time is not only nice but necessary.

Set up working hour boundaries with the family and stick to your times. I know I am guilty of checking emails throughout the night and this can be unfair to family that has waited for you all day.

Working from home brings on unique challenges. People tend to believe you are sitting at your computer playing and tend not to take your work seriously. Family can be the worst when it comes to work boundaries. Set up working guidelines early in your work from home career. Let family know that when you are in your office, you are off limits unless it is an emergency. If you have small children at home, try to set up scheduled activities to keep them occupied while you work. Plan focused work during nap time or time when you know you will have uninterrupted work time.

Don’t answer the phone when personal calls come in. Let your extended family know your working hours and when you typically take a lunch break for those times that just can’t wait until the end of the day.

Prepare yourself for interruption hurdles knowing the work from home journey is well worth it.