The people I work with work everywhere. They’re dots all over the map. They work in offices, homes, and just about everywhere else. My day started this morning at 5:30 AM when the sun was rising, shining, and setting for various members of my team. Telecommuting is not a 9 to 5 job.
Telecommuting lets work become part of your life. It’s no longer something that stops when you leave the office. You live it and breathe it. In some ways I never stop working.
My daughter climbs into my lap and whines until I play cartoons on YouTube. This week she only wants The Whale Who Sang At The Met. I turn the volume down and move the window over so I can answer an IM. She nestles back into my shoulder while I’m typing. Six more minutes before we need part two.
When the video ends, I tickle her and pass off to my wife. I lock the door. The IM window is still blinking with unanswered messages. My coworker found a new technology that might help us. I call her to talk about it. We chat about our kids.
“How many words can she say now?”
“Have you decided about preschool?”
Then we talk tech. My IM window is blinking again. I set my status as busy and get some work done. I’ll try to wait an hour before I turn it back on.
Working from home integrates your work into your life. You never leave the office. It makes you more productive, but you have to set boundaries. I know I work too much.
How do you set boundaries with your work? Do you leave your home office the same way you left your cubicle?