There are a lot of things I like about being self-employed . . . and even more about working from home. I make my own hours, wear whatever I want, choose my own priorities, and never have to pack a lunch. On the other hand, I find it hard to strike a good work-life balance.
When I worked a "regular" job, I always knew when I was working and when I wasn't. Working from home is a bit different. There is no physical space that distinguishes between "work" and "life," particularly because my living room is my home office, my couch my desk chair, and my entertainment system my work computer. Very easy for lines to get blurred in such a setting.
Add to that two children, and the result is work-life chaos. My kids are young enough that it is very difficult to work while they're awake. I have tried little chores with them around . . . sending an email, for example. They're climbing into my lap, pressing keys on the keyboard (accidentally turning off the computer), and simultaneously yelling at me to "Stop doing that, Mommy!!!"
I can feel my blood pressure rising just thinking about it.
Even worse is when you have to make a business call. Have you ever been on the phone with two children underfoot? Most professionals are not accustomed to doing so, and while they always assure me my children are delightful, I am pretty confident they do not appreciate my daughter screaming in their ear because her brother hit her with a drumstick.
In addition to the noise level (which makes a telemarketing center sound like a library on Sunday afternoon), the presence of children results in a disconcerting discontinuity of discourse.
My sister and I have perfected the art of what I call "punctuated conversations." We can successfully discuss the meaning of life, biblical feminism, the price of chicken at the supermarket, and the relative effectiveness of different shampoos while periodically interrupting ourselves (and each other) with "Stop chasing the cat!," "Don't sit on your sister's head!," and "We do not throw hard blocks in this house!"
As much as life interrupts work in a "home office" environment, I also find the opposite to be true. I am embarrassed to admit how many meals I have spent at the table with my adorable story-tellers prattling on about their imaginary trips without hearing a word. My mind was stuck on a book idea or a cover letter I needed to write, or an article I just couldn't seem to sink my teeth into.
It is a dreadful moment when you realize you have been viewing the most important people in your life as interruptions, as something that is keeping you from doing something "really important."
So I am trying to draw some work-life boundaries. When I am with my kids, I am trying to be conscious of them. Their thoughts, their feelings, their desires are important to me. They need to know it.
This time is fleeting. This year my son starts pre-school. Next year he'll be in kindergarten. Soon he'll be off to college. I don't want to look back on these days only to find out I never lived them in the first place.
I'm trying to keep work for nap time and after bedtime. That's not natural for an early-to-bed girl like me, but right now it's working. (You may notice I generally post around 11pm . . . )
I know many of you work from home, too. I'd like to hear some of the ways you keep your work, work and your life, life. (I also want to make sure the comment section works . . . !)
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