Neighbors & Working at Home

Working from home is wonderful when you are able to protect your work space. You also need rules that enable family members to recognize and support you when you’re “at work.” My husband and I both work at home, so we understand each other’s need for dedicated work time. Getting into a routine takes time, but the sooner the rules are written down, the sooner things will flow more smoothly. Various solutions we’ve used include:

  • Adding a glass door to an office nook, to create separation and block most noise
  • Moving an office to a separate room, and even the basement can work as a separate space
  • Explaining to extended family what my work hours are, and not answering the phone when they call. One sister is persistent so I also don’t return calls when messages are left on my cell during working hours.

The dilemma now is a neighbor who doesn’t work at home. She doesn’t understand that a car in the driveway isn’t an invitation to visit. My neighbor is a visiting nurse and often stops by when she returns home. This can be 2 to 3 times a week during office hours, to discuss joint projects like a new lawn that we are nurturing together. After 2 very stressful weeks in the office, I realize it is time to come up with some neighbor rules, along with a creative way to communicate them to my neighbor.

While these ideas are yet to be tested, I thought it would be helpful to share them here and see if others women have found equally useful solutions.

  • Post business hours at the front door, i.e. something fun like Tina & Ted working 8am – 6pm (I think the typical store/restaurant sign that you flip to say open or closed is too cumbersome)
  • Simply bring up the topic of working at home, and explain that we ask family & friends to refrain from calling (implying stopping by) during office hours
  • Put a message on our home answering machine asking people to leave a message, and explain that we will return calls outside of business hours

Maybe this list isn’t complete. It does point out that you probably need several solutions to eliminate interruptions while you are working at home. Best of luck to all of you and feel free to share with me other ideas you’ve found helpful.

Tina Gleisner is owner of My Handyman of Southern NH, and founder of 4 Walls 1 Roof, a marketing services business dedicated to helping other women who work with home owners to Create – Maintain – Enhance their homes. She enjoys sharing her expertise through eNewsletters and supporting articles published at www.MyHandymanNH.com and www.4walls1roof.com.