A home office is a great option for busy moms, particularly when you are trying to balance everything. However, a home office can also become a problem if you don’t set some ground rules too.If you have a separate office with a locking door, lock it when you are not around. There is nothing worse than walking in your office to discover that your toddler has discovered your highlighter and demonstrated her artistic talent all over that important report that you had been slaving over.
It is important to teach your children that your home office is off limits, however if you never let them in, it will begin to take on a mystical quality. Because children always want to go where they are prohibited, it is a good idea to set up a corner in your office for your kids to “work” whenever you are in there. Stock their office with crayons, special workbooks depending on their age, coloring sheets, and other office supplies like sticky notes, paper clips and even stamps. When children feel as if they are a part of what you are doing, they will be much happier, and it is amazing how much work you can get done with your kids working happily next to you.
When you have your office in your home it can be tempting to work more than you normally would. Because of this, it is a good idea to set office hours. During these hours, you should have the opportunity to work uninterrupted, or with minimal interruptions. Resist the urge to work outside of these hours, you don’t want your work to take over your life, you have to remember to find the balance.
A home office can be a blessing, because you can get so much work done with your children around you. There is a balancing act, but like everything else involving your own business and your family, once you find that balance, you can be productive, happy and successful from your home sweet home office.
Most homes don’t come equipped with an office and most jobs come with enough paper to bury the average living room or kitchen table. Home Office Solutions: Creating a Space That Works for You by Lisa Kanarek is an information-packed guidebook, now out in paperback, offers solutions and layouts for carving out home offices that work with your space and boost your success. Home Office Design Solutions helps readers take charge of productivity, find their optimum work style, and organize space for efficiency and creativity. Home offices don’t have to be eyesores that require the door always be kept shut tight. More important, if your office shares a room with another family activity, it need not be kept hidden behind a screen.
Real Estate, Business and Life Coach Cheri Alguire has partnered with hundreds of Real Estate Professionals and Small Business Owners to help them become more successful in business and in life. Coach Cheri specializes in Group Coaching for Small Business Owners, Working Mothers, Real Estate Agents and Managers. Learn more at www.NextLevelServices.net.