6 Simple Steps to Separate Your Personal and Professional Lives

If you work from home, you're probably already aware that you're doing "double duty." While doing the laundry, corralling the kids, or preparing dinner, you're undoubtedly working on your business... and don't forget about all the phone calls from family and friends expecting you to run errands or simply "go out" for an afternoon of fun.

Separating your work from your family and social life is one of the most difficult aspects of having a home business. Here are six tried-and-true methods for keeping your home life in order while keeping your business on track.

  1. Make a work schedule for yourself and stick to it. While it may be tempting to take personal calls during the day or business calls after hours, doing so demonstrates that you're replaceable rather than dependable, and people will assume that you'll "always be there" for any minor issues that arise. Even if your family comes first, stick to your work schedule and fight the impulse to chat with friends or go grocery shopping during business hours.

  2. "Working from home" may be seen by our friends as an invitation to chat during the day or simply go out for coffee or shopping for the afternoon. Make it clear that your business hours are for business purposes only. You'll discover that your pals will gradually accept your schedule without feeling slighted if you leave personal calls for after hours.

  3. You don't have to keep the same hours as everyone else just because you have to put up a work plan. Setting your own hours to meet your most productive times is one of the advantages of working for yourself. Whether you're an early riser or a night owl, you'll discover that being in sync with your body's natural rhythms allows you to get a lot more done. Some individuals work in the morning, then take a break in the afternoon when their children get home from school, before returning to work in the evening. When you schedule your work time when you feel most productive, you'll find that things get done easier, faster, and better than when you're stuck in the same fixed work hours as everyone else. 

  4. If receiving after-hours business calls or personal calls during the workday is an issue, having a separate business phone line to take the calls on can assist. This also gives your company a more professional impression to clients than if you use the same phone line to make and receive both personal and business calls.

  5. Try to keep your "home office" isolated from the rest of your house if at all possible. A room barrier or screen might be just as useful if you don't have the luxury of a separate room. This also acts as a visible message to the rest of the family that you're busy and shouldn't be disturbed. 

  6. When you're at work, you should dress and act professionally. While it’s not the case with everyone, some people find it beneficial to dress in casual business clothes. This emphasizes to yourself and family members that you are working, and also helps eliminate showing up on one of those YouTube “Zoom Fail” clips in your underwear!

If you’re struggling with making working from home work for you, feel free to schedule a free 30-minute call to see how I can help. As someone who’s been working from home for the past 8 years and who has 5 kids, I kind of think I’m an expert at this point ;).

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Tips and Tricks, Resources/ToolsJordan Kennedyentrepreneurship, startup tips, time management, work from homeComment