Increase Your Home Office Productivity with These 4 Tips

Working from home, a convenient option for working mothers, can tend to get hectic. At times I’ve strewn my work all over the house: in the kitchen while I attempt to prepare dinner and edit a booklet, in the bedroom as I conduct research by reading before bed, and, of course, in the office – where it should be. I have worked morning, noon, and night, and in the middle of the night when everyone else sleeps.

The lines can be blurred when working from home, too. In an office, you know coworkers understand you are at work and, supposedly, working, and people (meaning little people who scream and drool a lot) don't tend to wander into your space while you are speaking with a client. (And if they do, chances are upper management will let them have it!)

Also, the washer and dryer are not accessible, meaning you don't feel the need to get up every half hour and throw another load in, which winds up being an hour-long process because, on the way to the laundry room, you wash some dishes, make a few phone calls, vacuum the living room rug, and play ball with Fido, who looks so lonesome.

Bryant Rice, DEGW San Francisco Director who helps clients maximize productivity and job satisfaction in and out of the physical office, offers four tips for work at home moms interested in maximizing and organizing work space for better home office productivity.

1. Dedicate a space for work only. Rice suggests choosing a place that is your primary work space, so an office with a door that can close would work. Use this for your “core” office hours, however you define those hours. I will add to make sure the family understands this is a work place, not a play place; and that when you are in this space, you are working.
2. Create a schedule. Rice says to set your clock and computer for reminders. “Determine start and stop times and make sure you create breaks,” he suggests. I found this can be challenging as a work at home mother, particularly if you have young children who often get sick or need more care than older, more independent children. For a while, when my first was born, I tried to adhere to a very strict work schedule; until I nearly collapsed out of frustration. I later realized the key to making a schedule work is to create one, to follow it when you can, but to be flexible enough to understand at times you’ll need to change things – and be okay with that. If you aren’t flexible, you’ll grow frustrated daily.
3. Notify your household. Make sure everyone knows this space is your workspace. “If you can’t close a door,” says Rice, “devise another method to indicate your time is your own (at the moment).” One working mother I interviewed several years ago used a door hanger to show when she was busy and couldn’t be interrupted and when the office was open for the pitter patter of little feet. Rice says you can also divide your work time into “quiet” and “active” time. Devise a way to show the family what time it is so they understand the expectations.
4. Stay connected. Use the phone a lot and stay present through instant messaging. A tough reality of working from home remains the isolation one can feel. Make sure you reach out to others, whether these are staff or contractors that you’ve hired for work or friends with whom you can stop and have lunch. Attend monthly networking events, make play dates with your own friends, and get out of the house from time to time to clear your head.