Setting Boundaries For Your Sanity

If you have a work at home business it is essential to set boundaries in your home for the sake of your own sanity. Boundaries mean more than simply putting up a ‘do not disturb’ sign. You may think that leaving the ‘traditional’ office atmosphere will keep you away from so-called drama but unless the boundaries are set you will find that having your ‘office’ in your home setting may be just as dramatic. Not only are boundaries essential for your success at work at home but it will also help when it comes to your family and you won’t hear the cries or complaints that you are ALWAYS working.  Believe me, working at home is GREAT and it is best to begin with a plan in place.

With a plan you won’t run into a situation where your family won’t respect your time. When you decide to work at home, you must categorize the different hats you will ultimately wear.  If you are a parent, it is inevitable that you will wear that hat, but setting a plan in place will allow you to place that hat aside for the time needed to accomplish your business.

Once you determine the time necessary to wear such hat, others will take you serious as well. This may take some changing on your part.  For instance, instead of working in your jogging pants or pj’s determine a specific time that you will begin your work and be sure to shower, and dress appropriately.  No stiff suits are necessary, so let’s not go to the extreme.  However, looking the part will help others take you serious. Here are some examples of setting boundaries:

• If you have a home office that is separate from the living room and other common areas, it is easier for the kids to distinguish the yes and no zones. Tell them gently that when you’re in the office, they are not to come in unless it’s necessary. You may want to close the door so the kids are not tempted to invade your working area. If they don’t see you, they will most likely not bother you.

• If you don’t have a defined work space and you’re working from the garage or a part of the kitchen, tell your kids to respect your working hours. What you can do is set a timer. The timer goes off at the lunch hour which will signal to them that they can be with you during lunch. You set the timer again in the afternoon or early evening. This way, when the timer sounds, they know they can spend time with you.

• By setting boundaries, you’re asking family members to respect your wishes. Respect, however, goes in both directions. Show them that you also take their interests to heart by not taking any business calls during the family dinner. Be physically and emotionally present 100% for them.

• When you engage in recreational activities, don’t take along your laptop (unless everyone agrees it’s okay to do so) or check your PDA every hour. When you’re on a brief weekend vacation out of town, don’t run inside an internet cafe so you can check your emails.

• If you’re on a date with your spouse, resist the urge to talk about business. Quality time does not mean spicing up your conversations with stories about your clients and their unreasonable demands.

A couple of details worth remembering: don’t spend time chatting on the phone with your friends after you just said you had an urgent deadline.  If your body language doesn’t match your speech, setting boundaries will turn out to be a monumental task.  Most importantly in order for others to take you seriously at what your goal and intentions are … you must first take yourself seriously and others will follow.

About Dr. Mommy  (666 Posts)

Dr. Daisy Sutherland is the Founder/CEO of Dr. Mommy Online. She is a doctor, author, mentor, speaker, wife & mom to 5 children. Dr. Mommy's mission is to ~ Help Busy Women and Men with her 'Get Real' approach to living a happier and healthier lifestyle. Watch for new book: 'Letting Go of Super Mom' coming out August 7, 2012.

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