One thing being a mom has taught me is to expect the unexpected. The good, the bad…you can make the best effort at planning and the next minute your kids change the direction of your day.
Flexibility – being able to adapt to the unexpected – is an important skill to master in a home business as well as in parenting. After all, your kids will be in your office if it’s located at home…
A recent, unexpected change in my work-at-home schedule involved costumes and crafts (not my areas of expertise to be sure). My daughter’s school holds Homecoming spirit events one week each Fall, including a different theme of the day: “tacky day”, “western day”, “spirit (school color) day”, etc. Students dress up each day to show their school spirit.
My flexibility (and oh so limited craft skills) were tested when my daughter needed help throwing together a costume the night before “character” day. Yes, of course, it was last-minute planning…isn’t that the most fun way to design a costume?
On this particularly busy day, I had set aside time in the evening to catch up on some work when I received a call from my daughter (who was at a costume shop) – asking if we had paint, gloves, etc to put the finishing touches on her Cat Woman costume. Needless to say, I changed my evening plans and spent time helping my daughter with her costume.
So I stayed up a little later that night finishing up my work and it made me think – what are some things that can help you stay productive in your home office when your schedule changes unexpectedly?
1. Know Your “Must-Do” Tasks
What needs to be done every day for your business, no matter what? Those are your must-do tasks; if possible, do these things early in the day, before a change in your schedule can side-track you.
2. Set Up a Time “Buffer”
Leave some unassigned time in your daily schedule (call it “miscellaneous work” if that helps), so if unexpected things come up, you’ve built in time to deal with it.
Maybe you can leave 1 hour at the end of each day unassigned, to catch up on any items that got pushed aside by unexpected events.
3. Remember the Big Picture
What are your big goals? Keep your focus on them when daily plans go astray. An hour of my time to work on a costume is not going to deter my bigger business goals. It just means that on that day, I may not get everything done in my home office the way I planned.
4. Pay Attention to Your Attitude
If you accept that the unexpected is inevitable when you work from a home office, you’ll be less likely to get frustrated. Keep reminding yourself of all the positive benefits in working from home, and avoid the negative thinking. A little humor also goes a long way when you are working from home with kids, pets and chatty neighbors!
In my case, luckily, my limited craft skills were sufficient to help my daughter put together the pieces of her Cat Woman costume. She was happy with the results and had fun at school in her costume.
Our youngest cat though, not so much…my daughter’s cat apparel looked too real to Dexter: he got scared and ran the other way once she put on her mask and ears! Here’s a shot of him trying to brave:
Terry – this is helpful as I’m often late and with kids, the schedule would constantly change. Leaving a buffer is very helpful, and I now set phone alarms and finally got my schedule hooked between the computer and phone so I get reminders no matter where I’m at.
Marj Weir recently posted..Fri Oct 19 ’12 Announcement from Prep & Serve – the American Bento Box
Thanks for stopping by Marj! Using phone alarms is a great idea,since we always have those with us 🙂