4 Major Boundaries to Set When Working From Home + Tips!

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Working from home is freaking fantastic. But “fantastic” really doesn’t make it any easier than working in an office. Work is still work – it takes time and a lot of concentration.

Home can pull us in a lot of different directions, from chores to hobbies, to people in our lives wanting our attention.

Setting some thoughtful boundaries around your work day will go a long way toward keeping that “work” hat on, getting down to business and staying productive for longer periods of time:

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Table of Contents

Boundary #1: Everyone can contribute with the chores.

When I first started this whole WFH I figured “since I’m home” I can easily do house stuff. Throw in laundry, empty the dishwasher, pick up the house, get the groceries, the works. I learned quickly that chores are THE biggest time-suck.

Tips: Hand the garbage and a short grocery list to the hubby as he/she is walking out the door. Get the kids to put dry dishes away (they love sorting the utensils trust me). Have a laundry-folding race (grown-ups too!) before bed so everyone can bring their stuff with them to their respective rooms. Young kids especially love (1) brooms & (2) spraying stuff.

Boundary #2: Be quiet when I’m on the phone.

Sometimes you have no choice but to take calls when the family is home. It’s easy for the kids to get loud when they’re having fun or the hubby to walk in wanting help finding something.

Tips: Talk to the family about quiet time in general and if possible, let them know in advance if you are going to need some (“I need quiet time in 5 minutes!”). Put up a special light or sign that you can turn on or tape to the door when you are on a call or need to work without disruption. Make sure your phone has a mute button in case somebody has to interrupt you for a good reason.

Boundary #3: My Work Time Is Valuable.

Not everybody is going to believe you when you say you are working. This was my very first pain point. Sitting at home, in front of your computer or not, doesn’t always look like “work” to everyone. People tend to only hear “home” out of “I work at home” and think you’re free to do them all sorts of favors, or your significant other thinks their lunch break is a great time to get bizay.

Tips: Have short, consistent responses in your arsenal for people who interrupt your work time. A smiley, “I’m working, raincheck!” “Oh, gosh I’m working, can’t, let’s schedule for (some time when you aren’t working)!” It takes time since you are basically changing someone’s mind about what you do (i.e. actual work that brings in money). The more times you assert (nicely of course) that you are working, the easier it will be for the people around you to get on board with that and act like it.

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Boundary #4: I Will Not Be My Own Distraction.

Boundaries go both ways! It takes effort to keep myself on track. My phone, my web browser, the mailman, my coffee machine, the fridge all call my name. Especially if I have a project I’m not looking forward to, both my mind and body can sometimes travel away from my desk on autopilot.

Tips: If you need breaks, take them. Set an alarm 2-3 times during your work day to stand up, grab a snack or check your news feed. Cap it at 8 minutes, you’ll probably want to get back to work sooner than that.

Also try to listen to your body. Did you walk to the fridge when you started thinking about finishing that project? Unless it’s truly lunch time, get a glass of water & sit back down.

More Tips!

– Set clear work times & try to stick to them. But be flexible with this, there will be times that are easier or harder for your specific family to not disturb you. For example, my kids show me they need my attention during their first 30 minutes off of the school bus. I can’t expect them to stay quiet, it wouldn’t be fair to them. I won’t schedule a phone conference or try to handle something important during that time.

– COMMUNICATE. Don’t expect your hubby or kids to know when you want to work, that you have a crazy project or a super-important deadline coming up. Sit down with your S.O. and lay out what days & times of the week are for work. Showing some excitement & enthusiasm about your work will help get them on board & give you space. They love you, remember. If they need reminding, give a gentle reminder, you’re going to have to do a lot of reminding at first. Accept this as part of the process, so you can let it go and not feel unnecessary stress.

– Make it easy for your family to have some independence. Set up easy to reach, no-need-to-cut snacks, games, books, movies, and things to do. Make sure to rotate toys in & out so they don’t get bored. Don’t put out a science experiment while you are trying to work.

One More Tip!

– Schedule regular intentional family time – that really means no cell phone too. Bring out a game, play outside, help with homework, play a video game, take a nature walk, or watch a movie. My best tip for this is to try to make it an activity that you are doing too, it will take your mind off of working and make them feel like you are paying attention to them.

**If you need help scheduling your week, check out this post on scheduling a productive work week!

By the way this includes time with your S.O. If you are using your wake up early time, kids in school time & kids in bed time all for work, that special person in your life is going to feel pretty left out. A regular date night or date lunch if you can, or save either the late-night or early-morning working for only if it’s really necessary.

What boundaries are you having trouble with while working from home? What do you wish you could have or do to make working from home easier? Let me know in the comments, I love to hear from you!

-XO, Mina

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