6 Ways I Learned to Balance Working from Home

When people used to ask how much I worked, I would say that I worked full-time at home and full-time for my job.  I was lucky enough to be able to do both because I worked from home.  My last post 2 posts,  6 Reasons Why I Love Working from Home  and 6 Reasons Why I Don't Love Working from Home got a lot of mixed responses from people who work from home and some who do not.  The need for balance implies that an imbalance currently exists.  It has been my experience that to find balance takes a lot of energy, honesty, and perseverance  but is always worth it in the end.  As the scales move toward balance, BOTH sides have to adjust.  This is how I found some balance between the two.

1.  What they think:  I have the ultimate flexible schedule.  If my kids or my mother needs to go to the doctor, I can take them.  School play Friday morning? Car needs to go to the shop?  Delivery service needs someone to be at the house?  I can be there.  I may need to work a little late one night to catch up, or make calls from the waiting room, but I am so lucky to be able to do it at all.

The truth:  Since everyone knows I work from home, guess who they call first for any appointment or errand they may need.  Unless I can make up a quick excuse, I usually smile and say "Sure, I would love to."  By the time I pick them up, take them to their appointment, have lunch and drop them off, it's time to get the kids off the bus and my day is shot.  Yes, I can make up time when the kids are in bed, but by then I am exhausted and still have to make lunches and get ready for the next day.

My balance:  Since the truth is that I do love to be able to be at school events, and help a friend in need, I had to figure out a way to be able to be available without sacrificing my work or my sanity.  Doctor appointments and school events took precedence over birthday lunches and other non-emergency engagements.  I had to set boundaries and be honest when I sometimes had to say no.  At first it was very difficult for me, so I would say "If you can't find someone else, call me back."  But usually, they called me first because I was always there and quickly found an alternative ride.

2.  What they think:  I can get up from my desk and grab a snack or a drink any time I want to.  No one is looking over my shoulder to see how long I am away from my desk, or how long it takes me to eat my lunch and get some fresh air.  I can make myself anything I want for lunch too.  I can have hot leftover lasagna from last night and a fresh salad too without the transport and storage problems of packing lunches to go.  Equally important, eating at home keeps the costs down and is much healthier than eating out 5 days a week.   When I remember to keep up with my healthy water drinking habit, I can refresh and refill my glass as many times as I want, and use the bathroom accordingly.

The truth:  I am constantly snacking which has resulted in an added few extra pounds that I didn't need.  It's too easy to stop in the kitchen, and search through the cupboards for something to satisfy my craving.  Most of the time I am craving an excuse to procrastinate the project at hand, so I end up with extra calories and an unfinished task.   Good thing I work from home and have time to exercise. Or is it?

My balance:  Just like in school or work, there are set breaks for snacks, lunch and personal calls, so I learned to follow them at home.  I found it to be better for my work productivity as I planned my time accordingly.  And, I found it to be better for my diet as I had regular snacks to keep my blood sugar up without overdoing it.  Sometimes, I even made my lunch ahead of time when I made the kids lunches to save my prep time during the day.  Fresh air and bathroom breaks were never strictly regulated, which always made me feel like a rebel.

3.  What they think: I do not have to rush around like crazy in the morning because someone else says I have to be at my desk by 8am, or even 9.  I can have my coffee in my favorite mug and stay in my jammies until the chill in the air warms up and the snow on my windshield has melted.   I also do not have to spend nearly as much as my friends on a work wardrobe of clothes, shoes and bags.  If I have a few go to outfits for the occasional meeting, I am all set.

The truth:  Sometimes, I stay in my jammies all day and either rush to change into clothes before the kids get home from school, or tell them I just put them on after a long day at work.  At my worst, I have changed out of my old jammies into my "good" jammies to drive a neighbor to work, since I wouldn't have to get out of the car.  Yes, it is a luxury the first day, but after that it is just an outward sign of feeling unprofessional and unproductive.

My balance:  Most days I get up with the kids and get dressed and ready like I am about to leave for work.  When they leave, I head right to the computer and start my work day.  Even if I am just on the phone with a client, it makes me feel more professional and confident when I am dressed appropriately.   But, some days it does feel like a luxury to stay in my jammies for a little while, so I do. If it starts to happen too often, I quickly schedule a few morning appointments to get myself out of the house and break the habit.

4. What they think:  Jobs around the house are so much easier to do. It is so convenient for me to be able to throw a load of laundry in and let it work for me while I am getting my job done.  Same is true for the dishwasher.  Just push start, sit back down at my desk, and that chore is done.   I can also get dinner started so when  6 o'clock comes, we can all sit down to a nice, healthy, family meal.  Sometimes I have to run to the store for a few things, but I have that luxury by working from home.

The truth:  When I say I can throw a load of laundry in, it really means that I pick up all of the clothes on the floor in the kids' rooms, sort the piles of clothes downstairs, fold the clothes in the dryer so I can reload it with clothes from the washing machine and then put my load of clothes in the wash.  Then, to run the dishwasher I clear the counters, empty the sink, wipe the counters down.  Sound familiar?

My balance:  Learning to delegate household jobs was the best tactic I learned to find balance in this area.  At first it was my husband, who had slowly weaned himself from his responsibilities since I was now home full time, who I had to reenlist.  As the kids got older their chore list grew accordingly.  And, their impatience to wait for their laundry to be done was a huge motivator to learn to operate the machines.  I learned to make sure we all picked our things before they left for school so I wouldn't be tempted to do it for them, or have to look at it all day.  And, I left the rest of the housework for after work hours, so I was not distracted by thoughts of what else could be done throughout the day.  I have to admit, dinner was my downfall.  I had to work hard to plan meals, shop ahead, and cook in bulk in advance.  I came to LOVE my slow cooker.  I could put a healthy meal together in the morning and it was ready when we were. Although it took a lot of effort to get the meal planning down, it was well worth it when we had a hot, healthy dinner on the table each night.

5.  What they think:  The kids, I am so lucky that I am able to be home when the kids get home from school.  They don't have to feel neglected  or pawned off on someone else to look after them. They can have friends over, play outside, and participate in after school activities that their friends with moms who work outside the home, cannot accommodate.   I can just do my work while they have a snack, get their homework done, and play for a while before dinner.

The truth:  It doesn't matter how old they get, if I am home, they want my undivided attention.  Although they have been making their own breakfast since they were 5, all of sudden they need me to spread the peanut butter on their crackers and pour their milk.  Having friends over keeps them occupied, but raises the noise and snack getting levels.  Letting them play outside means I get called down the block instead of in the other room to look at the caterpillar they found in a cocoon and mediate their disagreements with their friends.

My balance:  This might be the toughest.  I have tried having a babysitter at the house while I am there, carpooling for activities, reteaching how to spread the peanut butter, etc.   So, sometimes I leave to go to the coffee shop for a few hours, or schedule play dates for each on the same day, trading days with another mother.  It just seems that when I am there, they want me.  This makes me focus on being extra efficient during the day and surrendering to the fact that this time in their lives is fleeting so I am there and sometimes I do have to make up for it at night when they go to bed.  But, to me that is a benefit of being at home that I am willing to let be off balance at times.

6.  What they think:  I can workout anytime I want to during the day.  No getting up at the crack of dawn for me, or trying to fit it in at the end of the day when there is family, dinner and homework to compete for my attention.  Nope, I have all day to get a full work out in, no more excuses.

The truth:  While it is true, I no longer have the excuse that I have to be in the office all day, now I have NO excuse!  But for some reason, I cannot seem to find the time to get into the gym, even when it is in my own home.  Maybe it is because of reasons 1-5.

My balance:  I have tried working out first thing in the morning, late at night,on my lunch break and not at all.   I believe that when you work out is a very personal decision based on a variety of factors, but in my case i have found the time that is just right.  11am.  it gives me time to get going in the morning on the pressing items at hand. When I am starting to loose my morning adrenaline rush, I get in a good workout that carries me through the day.  I have a light lunch and have another productive full block of time before the kids get home.  I look forward to it now and I am thankful for the energy and focus it gives me for the rest of the day.

A great piece of advice someone gave me was to schedule all of my weekly appointments in one day.  Of course, some of them were out of my control but if i knew there was a school event in the morning I would schedule my errands or an appointment in the afternoon.   After a while, I began to feel less selfish about protecting my work time and was less frazzled when it came to taking care of my family.  It's like being on an airplane in a crisis, when they tell the mother to put on the oxygen mask first, so she can take care of her children.  The more I learn  take care of myself, by setting boundaries, eating healthy, and exercising regularly, the better I am at maintaining the balance I need to also take care of my home and get my work done

Kathy Leckey is a consultant to business owners who know that while entrepreneurship has its rewards, it can be overwhelming when we try to do so many aspects of it ourselves.  For more information go to www.Saranacbc.com.