WFH - Work From Home Tip No. 2 - Define and Protect Work Boundaries

I saw a meme of a mom trying to get her work done in the bathroom. Well, it’s true, you try to get work done wherever you can. But in order to really get work done, you have to give yourself mental boundaries that will define your work TIME and work SPACE. Let me explain.

Time Boundary No. 1: Decide on what time you want to work.

My #WFH schedule will not work for you. Why? Because my family situation is unique to me. Only you will know when you can truly work. I can only show you how I came out with my own work schedule.

Ideally, I wanted to finish all my work in the morning, before my family wakes up. Big deal. I tried it and it did not work. Then, I tried to work when my husband is also working. Well, it worked for a while then, he started making me his on-call editor. It was okay at first, but then, it disrupted my own work flow and I have to try and get into the flow in vain. After a few weeks of disruptions from him and my sons (one works at home and the other I teach), I had to set boundaries.

First, I asked myself: what days do I want to work? Easy. Monday to Friday with optional Sunday bookkeeping or planning. What time do I want to work? Well, I hate strict schedules so I gave myself a time span. I will do my “heavy thinking” work in the morning and my “technical or administrative” work in the afternoon. So if I want to create or write something new, it will be in the morning. Bookkeeping and designing will be in the afternoon.

The next question is what time? I looked at my own family’s time then. Well, my husband works at home and he does his computer work after brunch. I also have a grown son with autism and he expects me to teach him after his morning routine. That means I have a two-hour window after my own brunch from 11AM to 1PM. That’s my deep work schedule. Afternoon work time is from 4:30 to 7PM when my family take a rest. What about you? Observe your family habits. Then decide and protect your work time.

Time Boundary No. 2: Protect your time boundary.

Now that you decided what days and time you will work, protect it. Really. When my husband wanted me to edit something during my work time, I tell him I’ll be available after 1PM. At first, he insisted that it will only take a minute. Well, I know it will not truly take a minute. It may take an actual minute to edit his sentences but it will take a lot more time to get me back into my work flow. So I say no. Again. And again. Until he got used to respecting my time. If I can do it, you can too. Start saying no and tell them you are available later. Chances are, they will do it themselves without you.

Protect Your Work Space (or mentally bring it elsewhere).

One thing that helped me worked from home is my designated work space. My whole family #WFH so we have our own nooks. My husband got the living room, my older son works in his bedroom, my younger son studies and work in the dining room and I have no choice but to work inside the master bedroom.

Actually, I bought a standing desk called Ergo Elements Hop Standing Desk Converter and wobble stool before I resigned. I wanted to be mobile while working on my computer desk and so far, it was worth it. My family knows that when I work on my standing desk, they should limit their interaction with me. However, hubby has this habit of going to our bedroom whenever he wants a break. At first, it really irritated me. Then I realized I can go to the dining table to work whenever he needs to rest in our bedroom. That worked. Now, I have two work spaces. I realized that my work is not limited by physical location. Work space is also mental space. I just have to shift my perspective and bring my work space somewhere else.

BTW, I never bring my work to bed. At the beginning, I did. It disrupted my sleeping schedule. Well, maybe it is different for you. What about you? Where do you work best? Work boundaries start with your mind. Define it yourself. Then protect it. If you missed my first #WFH tip you’ll find it in this link. It takes time and self-reflection but it is worth it.