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Working from home has become the new dream for millions of people.

Plugging away in cubicles away from home, people now daydream about having a home office, enjoying the flexibility of being able to work and play according to their own needs and schedules, and ditching their commute.

With more and more people now finding ways to work at home, the new challenge has become learning to separate work and family obligations effectively. Whether you are working in a flex-time arrangement with your employer or have started your own business, if you find yourself facing productivity or focus challenges, read on for some tips on managing the work at home environment.

Set guidelines: Being able to focus on work when your family or significant other is around is crucial, and you must create and communicate new guidelines for how you want things to be. The trick to having this be effective is to talk to your family (or even friends who tend to call frequently) about how this will benefit them. Put things in terms of what this will mean to them if they respect your privacy and need to focus on your work during certain hours. For instance, if your kids tend to run to you with every little question, interrupting your work frequently, explain to them that by allowing you to work in peace, they are helping you work towards the things they love and which have meaning for them – that new video game, for instance, or time spent together. Always use positive promises (<em>”If I am able to work in silence for two hours I can then take you to the park – yay!”</em>) rather than negative threats (<em>”If you don’t stop yelling and running around you are NOT going to the park later!”).
Enlist help: Further to the previous point, you can enlist the co-operation of those around you in helping to keep the house in order while you work. Housework should not be solely the job of one person, and you are doing your part in creating co-operative, responsible people by insisting everyone do their part. Because you are at home, you may find your family expects more of you around the house, rather than less. Set your boundaries and ensure your worklife is respected, and do so by keeping open communication about what is expected of everyone.
Praise good behavior: Always try and catch people in ‘good’ behavior. When your kids play outside quietly, allowing you to work for two hours, praise them lavishly (not falsely), and reward them by spending some time with them. Kids can get jealous of work, especially when it’s done at home, so when you set aside reward time and spend it doing something they love – reading or playing games or doing homework together – you reinforce their good behaviour and help create responsible, respectful kids.
Block time out: It’s not always family and friends that get in the way of work-at-home focus. It can be difficult to leave messes, phone calls or personal to-do lists alone when evidence of them is everywhere around you. This is one challenge which trips up many people, and can be effectively dealt with by using good time management. Spend a little time each week or each evening on your business, as opposed to spending it all in your business. Make lists of both personal and work priorities, and create a schedule that will allow you to get both done in certain blocks of time. For instance, commit to working for three hours in the morning and then give yourself a two-hour personal block, in which you eat, answer personal calls and email and do a load of laundry.
Take breaks and treat yourself well: The opposite challenge to the point above is when people find it difficult to stop working. The line between work and home can get very blurred, especially if you have no separate work area in your home. To avoid burn-out and to ensure balance, you must be sure to give yourself regular breaks and to take time for personal pursuits, such as eating regularly, exercising, and getting fresh air, not to mention seeing friends and family and generally maintaining healthy social interaction. Remember that you wanted flexibility, not a new jail!

With these tips in mind, you can create a balanced and effective work-at-home environment that works for everyone involved and ensures you get the job done!