As someone who has worked from an office in his house for nearly 15 years, I have learned through mistakes and good choices the discipline and configuration needed to enjoy the comfortable benefits of telecommuting that many companies are now feeling inclined to provide.
This post provides some tips to a challenging situation that could make that job with a daily pajama commute a happy memory.
The Single, Most Important Think To Act On
The most vital tool in telecommuting from home that you need – what you must do is to create a metaphysical “office door” that becomes part of your end-of-workday routine.
There are times that telecommuters will feel the urge to return to work after sitting down to a family meal. But don’t do it. Don’t blend your personal time with business time or you’ll look back with regret.
I learned a trick from another telecommuter that I call “brushing the leaves”. Each day, shortly after five, he would walk out of his “office” (I think he used his dining room), walked outside, shut the door, then brushed the leaves of his tree. He equated it to brushing off the worries of his workday. Then he would turn back around, open the door and enter the house, leaving his daily work-related concerns outside on the tree. This allowed him to spend time being completely present for his wife and children.
You work so your family can have a good life. The irony is how easy it is to allow that same work rob them of that good life in the process.
The most important tool to your workday is the “office door” that helps you separate the roles you must perform to support who you’re working for and who you live for. Whether physical or not, the separation is a discipline that hinges solely on you.