I know it's Friday and perhaps some of you think I have Louis Prima or something playing in the background and I'm making everyone bend under a broomstick. But, no. That's not what I mean.
Limbo. Stuck between earthly life and heaven, technically, no? Analogy in 3, 2, 1...
Earthly life. Which is a good thing if you are thinking about our environment and doing all the right things that go with it. If you are thinking that you have daily drudgery, well, things can always be worse. Right now I'm in a little slow patch, which is actually (other than financially) ok now and again. I feel like it clears my head. I get to clean up (mentally...no I did not ask you to look at my house at the moment), organize, see friends or catch up. Things like that. Yet, missing a little something.
Heaven. Let's say this is the perfect state. For me that would be an ideal balance of something that challenges my head, inspires good thinking on a daily basis, and brings in enough cash to make things easier and buy new shoes while maintaining the home office situation, spending some time with kiddos, and keeping any commuting or travel to a minimum/non-existent state.
Tall order, perhaps. But I'm willing to wait. It will come.
Showing posts with label working from home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label working from home. Show all posts
Friday, April 16, 2010
Monday, July 14, 2008
On Working from Home: Articulate the Plan Well
So here it is, summer, and I am feeling torn, as I did last year at this time.
My son is out of school. The main reason that I work part time from home is because he goes to school, and I need to be a functioning part of the carpool. I'll admit that I haven't necessarily gotten over my freelancing days, either, and I like the freedom of working how I wish without an office environment all the time, too.
I'd explained to my employers that getting him back and forth to preschool is the primary reason for my work-at-home status. As I've said before, they are really very supportive of the situation, and I can't really put my finger on a time, ever, where I've been given a hard time about asking for/notifying them of flexibility needs.
With that said, whether it's the guilt demons in my head or an actual vibe I get from a co-worker or two, I have a hard time reconciling the fact that I am not "required" to be home and I am still heading out early to work from home a couple days a week.
I like that I have a regular schedule. That I am home a little more, even if I am working. That I can see them that much earlier at the end of my day, and they know I am "here". Why upset that just because I'm not required to drive him to school two times a week?
Two points come out of this to think about, if you're going to consider a similar arrangement.
My son is out of school. The main reason that I work part time from home is because he goes to school, and I need to be a functioning part of the carpool. I'll admit that I haven't necessarily gotten over my freelancing days, either, and I like the freedom of working how I wish without an office environment all the time, too.
I'd explained to my employers that getting him back and forth to preschool is the primary reason for my work-at-home status. As I've said before, they are really very supportive of the situation, and I can't really put my finger on a time, ever, where I've been given a hard time about asking for/notifying them of flexibility needs.
With that said, whether it's the guilt demons in my head or an actual vibe I get from a co-worker or two, I have a hard time reconciling the fact that I am not "required" to be home and I am still heading out early to work from home a couple days a week.
I like that I have a regular schedule. That I am home a little more, even if I am working. That I can see them that much earlier at the end of my day, and they know I am "here". Why upset that just because I'm not required to drive him to school two times a week?
Two points come out of this to think about, if you're going to consider a similar arrangement.
- When you negotiate your flex-time, or days from home, or however you are approaching it...don't be too detailed. I will be taking/need "x" days at home. Period. Don't undo your flexibility by backing into a slim schedule. Most likely, it won't benefit you in the long run, and it will be difficult to re-negotiate. (There is probably a whole other post hidden in "will take" vs. "need"....)
- Get over it! Priorities are priorities. And perhaps the fact that your priorities are in order make someone else uncomfortable. Remember that's their problem, not yours. At least that's what I'm going to try to do.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
On Working from Home: Really?
I haven't done a post on working from home in a while, and an article in the NY Times this past week inspired me to do so. It's titled "Working Alone, In a Group".
A main point in the article discusses what drives folks to these shared workplaces that are seemingly becoming popular. "...my home is not always conducive to work." (Well, my friend, have you tried it with a renovation underfoot?)
But Ms. Belkin makes a really good point in a single sentence that outlines many of the biggest challenges of working from home, especially when it's a new situation:
Companionship is an important consideration with work. There are folks who do best when left on their own entirely. It is true of many businesses, however--and I have found this to be validated in the marketing discipline--that collaboration brings inspiration, even if not necessarily crafted for that purpose.
When I work at home, I do have distractions, like the fridge. (That's a whole other post in itself...controlling your food intake when it's "free" and right nearby.) And I'm a talker. But I just re-channel that urge and call a client instead.
The routine she mentions is something you need to control yourself. I've said it before. I think you need to be far more disciplined at home than in an office.
With that said, maybe I'll try one of these sometime. However, if it's just a hipster version of cube-land...I'm already over it. What do you think?
A main point in the article discusses what drives folks to these shared workplaces that are seemingly becoming popular. "...my home is not always conducive to work." (Well, my friend, have you tried it with a renovation underfoot?)
But Ms. Belkin makes a really good point in a single sentence that outlines many of the biggest challenges of working from home, especially when it's a new situation:
But if you stay home, you lose the routine, the companionship and the accountability (napping is tempting).I've gotten over the temptation to nap--well, only once or twice--and it was technically on a sick day or at the very end of my pregnancy while I was just trying to hold it together. So let's put that particular issue aside and stick with accountability. You still have to have a to-do list, an agenda for the day. Whatever you would get done in the office, you have to be just as productive at home. Period.
Companionship is an important consideration with work. There are folks who do best when left on their own entirely. It is true of many businesses, however--and I have found this to be validated in the marketing discipline--that collaboration brings inspiration, even if not necessarily crafted for that purpose.
When I work at home, I do have distractions, like the fridge. (That's a whole other post in itself...controlling your food intake when it's "free" and right nearby.) And I'm a talker. But I just re-channel that urge and call a client instead.
The routine she mentions is something you need to control yourself. I've said it before. I think you need to be far more disciplined at home than in an office.
With that said, maybe I'll try one of these sometime. However, if it's just a hipster version of cube-land...I'm already over it. What do you think?
Friday, June 13, 2008
On Working from Home: Seasonality
It's true that the summer makes things better in so many ways. 
This may not be as applicable, or perhaps even the reverse is true, if you happen to live in a perpetually sunny clime--but here in the Northeast, I feel like the quality of life increases exponentially when the warm weather arrives. Mmm. Pretty mini-roses in my yard.
It certainly affects working from home. That sounds a little odd...or perhaps even unprofessional, but let me explain.
I work from home some days, as you know if you read this. I have an "office" of sorts...where I can close the door and seal off the kids/nanny/playdates/etc. With that said, sometimes it gets a little loud; I can still manage to block it out mentally, but I have to give the high sign to J when I have a conference call so I can make sure I have peace and quiet. Usually they will go upstairs to play (now a viable option since we actually have human-size bedrooms up there).
But spring, summer...the options multiply. You can all go outside. Oh, the benefits. You get the much needed focus-time, and your kids get fresh air...or, you get fresh air: take that conference call outside on your patio if you have a quiet neighborhood.
Mandatory for option maximization: wireless for your house to tote that work-issued laptop around, and an outdoor outlet to plug in when the battery is dying but the weather isn't.
Enjoy!
This may not be as applicable, or perhaps even the reverse is true, if you happen to live in a perpetually sunny clime--but here in the Northeast, I feel like the quality of life increases exponentially when the warm weather arrives. Mmm. Pretty mini-roses in my yard.It certainly affects working from home. That sounds a little odd...or perhaps even unprofessional, but let me explain.
I work from home some days, as you know if you read this. I have an "office" of sorts...where I can close the door and seal off the kids/nanny/playdates/etc. With that said, sometimes it gets a little loud; I can still manage to block it out mentally, but I have to give the high sign to J when I have a conference call so I can make sure I have peace and quiet. Usually they will go upstairs to play (now a viable option since we actually have human-size bedrooms up there).
But spring, summer...the options multiply. You can all go outside. Oh, the benefits. You get the much needed focus-time, and your kids get fresh air...or, you get fresh air: take that conference call outside on your patio if you have a quiet neighborhood.
Mandatory for option maximization: wireless for your house to tote that work-issued laptop around, and an outdoor outlet to plug in when the battery is dying but the weather isn't.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
On Working From Home: A Scary School Day
My children are too young to be in our public school system yet. Right now as a working mom, my biggest worry has been carpooling for my son's preschool, making sure we bring in a snack when it's our turn, and making time for parent/teacher meetings. Easy.
Our village's schools have always had a wonderful reputation. I subscribe to our village billboard on Yahoo! to keep posted on the village goings-on, and today's email was full of news about a scare at our middle school (so was my TV screen tonight with the local news). It seems as if a student had posted something online (a blog) that was a threat toward one or two specific children and the school in general. The middle school was evacuated. Btw, it should be noted that it's social studies state testing day.
Worse, it's the child of a school board member. As I have had no experience with any of the related parties, I'll reserve judgment until I hear more of the facts. Truthfully, no matter what your position, this must be a horrible thing to go through as the child's parent.
With that said, I am relieved that my employer is in such close proximity to our home, and I have the ability to to work from home regularly. While O isn't in the elementary school yet, I can't imagine the feelings I would experience upon getting a call about such a situation, and be far away. I know I can get to him in 15 minutes at worst.
And people wonder why parents give children cell phones at such a young age. The school couldn't really communicate with parents until they had all the facts, so many parents were upset about the lack of contact. At least the parents were getting texts from the kids...though in many cases I am sure that exacerbated the panic.
Makes me all the more motivated to figure out how to work from home as much as possible. The world has changed quite a bit since I was in middle school.
Our village's schools have always had a wonderful reputation. I subscribe to our village billboard on Yahoo! to keep posted on the village goings-on, and today's email was full of news about a scare at our middle school (so was my TV screen tonight with the local news). It seems as if a student had posted something online (a blog) that was a threat toward one or two specific children and the school in general. The middle school was evacuated. Btw, it should be noted that it's social studies state testing day.
Worse, it's the child of a school board member. As I have had no experience with any of the related parties, I'll reserve judgment until I hear more of the facts. Truthfully, no matter what your position, this must be a horrible thing to go through as the child's parent.
With that said, I am relieved that my employer is in such close proximity to our home, and I have the ability to to work from home regularly. While O isn't in the elementary school yet, I can't imagine the feelings I would experience upon getting a call about such a situation, and be far away. I know I can get to him in 15 minutes at worst.
And people wonder why parents give children cell phones at such a young age. The school couldn't really communicate with parents until they had all the facts, so many parents were upset about the lack of contact. At least the parents were getting texts from the kids...though in many cases I am sure that exacerbated the panic.
Makes me all the more motivated to figure out how to work from home as much as possible. The world has changed quite a bit since I was in middle school.
Monday, May 19, 2008
On Working from Home: Boundaries
To follow-up from yesterday's post, it seems the best topic to cover would be the boundaries that need to be set around working from home. In the short amount of time since I've had two children, it's quite likely I have enough fodder to write an entire book on this topic. Bearing that in mind, I'll be sure to edit my commentary to a digestible amount.
There are four types of boundaries you need to set when you are working from home:
...it was not so great for conference calls. The physical boundary of a door also provides another benefit; as more of natural barrier, it helps your children with the "out of sight, out of mind" principle. If they are engaged with their caregiver, you may actually get them to forget you are in the house when you are behind a closed door.
With your children. This conversation will differ wildly if you have a toddler or a teenager. (Even trickier if you have both.) The toddler conversation may register to some extent, but the reality is that the younger your child, the more important it is to develop a plan with the caregiver. When my son was two, I told him mommy just worked upstairs now instead of somewhere else. It needed to be reinforced often, but we have a great caregiver, and she worked with me to corral him away from the office area and/or get him out of the house to activities, which helped quite a bit.
Recently, we have renovated our home and it has given us an office space--yes, with a door. Now my son is almost four, and because that room served another purpose (the almighty TV room...somewhat of a Mecca to Dora groupies), he's very used to walking right into it and plopping down. So there needs to be a constant reminder--and a much firmer directive from his caregiver--to keep out. "When the door is closed, honey, mommy is at work. And it's like when I work at the office, you can't just come in and see me or interrupt my phone calls."
I haven't experienced it personally yet, but I imagine that most teenagers would prefer you were at the office.
With yourself. You may be saying, "what does that mean? I have self-control! I won't do anything but work when I'm home. It will be great; I'll be able to focus and get so much done..."
"....oh, jeez, let me run up to the bedroom and get that wash to throw in the machine."
Aha! Actually, self-discipline is great if it comes naturally to you. But when you are aware of the fact you are in your own home all day, it becomes incredibly tempting to take care of a few little things; ultimately, enough distractions really eat up your day.
If it doesn't come naturally to you, set mini-goals for yourself over the course of the day to achieve your workload in a responsible manner. Or, create a set of rules as to how many personal tasks you can take care of around your work. Or, make a strict schedule as you begin your day and stick to it. There are plenty of ways to handle it.
On a side note...watch your multitasking. I was recently trying to breastfeed while on a conference call. I had my earbuds in from the BlackBerry, and muted the call when I was not speaking. Since I have a great relationship with the clients, they know I work from home a bit more often since the baby was born. I chipped in with some commentary, and before I knew it, one of the clients said, "Hey, was that the baby? Is this her first conference call?" UGGghhhhh.
I'm so used to her little noises that I didn't even realize she peeped. Good thing my client is a new parent as well, and a really good guy. I'll try not to repeat that one.
With your caregiver(s). If your child is at school or daycare while you are working, you have saved yourself some trouble. If you have a caregiver--be it a nanny, au pair, or their grandmother--and your child is in the house while you are, it's going to be a little more challenging. I swear sometimes my kids can smell that I'm in the house.
The most important thing to consider, which is important to remember when you have any sort of caregiver, is consistency. Set the rules and make sure the caregiver is going to enforce them the same way that you will with regard to what's allowed when you are home. And if you have more than one caregiver, make sure it's a consistent message to all of them.
Well, I'm not sure that was exactly a "digestible amount" but I'd love to hear any war stories around the boundaries of working from home if you've experienced it yourself. Love the trenches, share the trenches.
There are four types of boundaries you need to set when you are working from home:
- Physical boundaries
- With your children
- With yourself
- With your caregiver(s)
...it was not so great for conference calls. The physical boundary of a door also provides another benefit; as more of natural barrier, it helps your children with the "out of sight, out of mind" principle. If they are engaged with their caregiver, you may actually get them to forget you are in the house when you are behind a closed door.
With your children. This conversation will differ wildly if you have a toddler or a teenager. (Even trickier if you have both.) The toddler conversation may register to some extent, but the reality is that the younger your child, the more important it is to develop a plan with the caregiver. When my son was two, I told him mommy just worked upstairs now instead of somewhere else. It needed to be reinforced often, but we have a great caregiver, and she worked with me to corral him away from the office area and/or get him out of the house to activities, which helped quite a bit.
Recently, we have renovated our home and it has given us an office space--yes, with a door. Now my son is almost four, and because that room served another purpose (the almighty TV room...somewhat of a Mecca to Dora groupies), he's very used to walking right into it and plopping down. So there needs to be a constant reminder--and a much firmer directive from his caregiver--to keep out. "When the door is closed, honey, mommy is at work. And it's like when I work at the office, you can't just come in and see me or interrupt my phone calls."
I haven't experienced it personally yet, but I imagine that most teenagers would prefer you were at the office.
With yourself. You may be saying, "what does that mean? I have self-control! I won't do anything but work when I'm home. It will be great; I'll be able to focus and get so much done..."
"....oh, jeez, let me run up to the bedroom and get that wash to throw in the machine."
Aha! Actually, self-discipline is great if it comes naturally to you. But when you are aware of the fact you are in your own home all day, it becomes incredibly tempting to take care of a few little things; ultimately, enough distractions really eat up your day.
If it doesn't come naturally to you, set mini-goals for yourself over the course of the day to achieve your workload in a responsible manner. Or, create a set of rules as to how many personal tasks you can take care of around your work. Or, make a strict schedule as you begin your day and stick to it. There are plenty of ways to handle it.
On a side note...watch your multitasking. I was recently trying to breastfeed while on a conference call. I had my earbuds in from the BlackBerry, and muted the call when I was not speaking. Since I have a great relationship with the clients, they know I work from home a bit more often since the baby was born. I chipped in with some commentary, and before I knew it, one of the clients said, "Hey, was that the baby? Is this her first conference call?" UGGghhhhh.
I'm so used to her little noises that I didn't even realize she peeped. Good thing my client is a new parent as well, and a really good guy. I'll try not to repeat that one.
With your caregiver(s). If your child is at school or daycare while you are working, you have saved yourself some trouble. If you have a caregiver--be it a nanny, au pair, or their grandmother--and your child is in the house while you are, it's going to be a little more challenging. I swear sometimes my kids can smell that I'm in the house.
The most important thing to consider, which is important to remember when you have any sort of caregiver, is consistency. Set the rules and make sure the caregiver is going to enforce them the same way that you will with regard to what's allowed when you are home. And if you have more than one caregiver, make sure it's a consistent message to all of them.
Well, I'm not sure that was exactly a "digestible amount" but I'd love to hear any war stories around the boundaries of working from home if you've experienced it yourself. Love the trenches, share the trenches.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
On Working from Home
As a mom, it is practically inevitable when you meet another mom that you will have the conversation as to whether you work or stay at home with the kids.
"I work full time, but on some days I work from home."
If they work full-time too, the response is usually in the area of: "You are so lucky! It's sooooo much easier."
Hold it right there, my friend. I don't know if "easier" is really the right way of looking at it. I'd say it's more beneficial in the long run for both me and my family. Lucky, yes. But easier?
Working from home is ultimately a blessing, but challenging for a series of reasons. You must have a significant amount of self-discipline, set up appropriate resources for your situation, and have a work situation that facilitates working from home as a logical or practical option. Not to mention you need to have had the forethought to select a profession that allows for it (clearly, you can't be working in retail, or waiting tables, or dancing on Broadway). With that said, I'm a huge advocate of it for any parents, particularly moms, who can pull it off.
My current position gives me the opportunity to work from home two afternoons a week. I need the flexibility to bring my son to and from preschool (we carpool; his friend's mom tackles the other two days). I'll also often work from home when there are doctor's appointments, school activities or other personal or family activities that need some attention. This helps to cut down on travel and make it a more efficient and productive day for me. I have to admit the situation is a bit of an anomaly in my profession...advertising and marketing typically demand very regular 9-5 hours and well beyond that...full-time plus, if you will. Before committing to it, there is a lot to consider.
Flexibility to work from home could affect compensation. You could say that I took a "pay cut" to have the benefit of working from home. Had I gone back to work in Manhattan, I could be bringing home a much fatter paycheck. But the benefits aren't there: the lack of commute, the proximity to home in case of an emergency, and most importantly, the extra quality time that I have with my kids. As difficult as it is sometimes, I am proud I have not given back in to temptation simply for the cash. (At least I've been blessed with a natural sense of priorities.)
Child care...a much deeper topic than I care to address here. While my circumstances now (breastfeeding a newborn, and preschooler-wrangling) are different than when I was freelancing from home and I had one toddler to worry about, it's good to have consistency with child care. That has to be the number one thing you are comfortable with before being able to commit to this. I hope to have the same situation in the future...my goal is to be able to work a majority of my hours from home as my work situation evolves.
I could wax poetic about child care options, and how to make working from home work, but the reality is that everyone feels comfortable with different situations, and only they can determine the impact that child care can take on their household budget.
There are also the issues of setting boundaries within the house while you're home, how you address it with your family, how you agree upon it with your employer (or decide to take the jump on your own) and--very critical--the space you work in. I'll address these in some follow-up posts; this one is long enough for now.
"I work full time, but on some days I work from home."
If they work full-time too, the response is usually in the area of: "You are so lucky! It's sooooo much easier."
Hold it right there, my friend. I don't know if "easier" is really the right way of looking at it. I'd say it's more beneficial in the long run for both me and my family. Lucky, yes. But easier?
Working from home is ultimately a blessing, but challenging for a series of reasons. You must have a significant amount of self-discipline, set up appropriate resources for your situation, and have a work situation that facilitates working from home as a logical or practical option. Not to mention you need to have had the forethought to select a profession that allows for it (clearly, you can't be working in retail, or waiting tables, or dancing on Broadway). With that said, I'm a huge advocate of it for any parents, particularly moms, who can pull it off.
My current position gives me the opportunity to work from home two afternoons a week. I need the flexibility to bring my son to and from preschool (we carpool; his friend's mom tackles the other two days). I'll also often work from home when there are doctor's appointments, school activities or other personal or family activities that need some attention. This helps to cut down on travel and make it a more efficient and productive day for me. I have to admit the situation is a bit of an anomaly in my profession...advertising and marketing typically demand very regular 9-5 hours and well beyond that...full-time plus, if you will. Before committing to it, there is a lot to consider.
Flexibility to work from home could affect compensation. You could say that I took a "pay cut" to have the benefit of working from home. Had I gone back to work in Manhattan, I could be bringing home a much fatter paycheck. But the benefits aren't there: the lack of commute, the proximity to home in case of an emergency, and most importantly, the extra quality time that I have with my kids. As difficult as it is sometimes, I am proud I have not given back in to temptation simply for the cash. (At least I've been blessed with a natural sense of priorities.)
Child care...a much deeper topic than I care to address here. While my circumstances now (breastfeeding a newborn, and preschooler-wrangling) are different than when I was freelancing from home and I had one toddler to worry about, it's good to have consistency with child care. That has to be the number one thing you are comfortable with before being able to commit to this. I hope to have the same situation in the future...my goal is to be able to work a majority of my hours from home as my work situation evolves.
I could wax poetic about child care options, and how to make working from home work, but the reality is that everyone feels comfortable with different situations, and only they can determine the impact that child care can take on their household budget.
There are also the issues of setting boundaries within the house while you're home, how you address it with your family, how you agree upon it with your employer (or decide to take the jump on your own) and--very critical--the space you work in. I'll address these in some follow-up posts; this one is long enough for now.
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