Everyone always tells me how lucky I am to work from home. I used to think so too, until about a year ago when I realized that when you work from home there is NO clear division between work time and home time. Because of this I end up working in excess of 16 hours a day Monday through Saturday with Sunday being my only day of rest and even then I'm going to church.
Also when you work from home, you receive about 300 emails a day that are all "URGENT" and must be answered ASAP and u receive about 50 phone calls a day in addition to making at least another 50 of your own that usually go to voicemail...and naturally when the individual calls u back u are on the phone again and it becomes a never-ending game of phone tag.
So, if u work from home like I do you must set ground rules so here are some I am making for myself starting tonight!
1. I will only work 8-9 hours a day. End of story. If I begin at 11 AM I am done at 7 PM and if any of my clients are in LA they will have to get a return call the next day. No more 4 AM phone calls for me...I need some sleep! If I have an 8 PM radio show it will be one hour only so I will be finished by 9 PM ET.
2. Beginning in the new year I will only be on the air twice a week...no matter how GREAT the guest may be. I can't be a publicist, editor, author, mother and talk show host 6 days a week, it only makes my lupus flare up more.
3. I'm going to spend more time with my family and less time working or thinking about working!
4. I am going to start going away for vacations and holidays without my laptop and cell phone at least 3 weeks out of the year.
5. I am going to stop missing doctors appointments because I am so wrapped up in work I forget about them and end up getting sicker.
6. I'm going to take naps during the day if I'm tired no matter what people think and will be turning off my phone. Any hours spent napping can be added to my 8 hour work day so no harm, no foul!
7. I REFUSE to work during the holidays this year...it's just not gonna happen...sorry.
So if you want to work from home, lay down some ground rules for yourself, take care of yourself and don't blur the lines between your home and your work space like I have done for years. This is probably half the reason I'm sick most of the time...I forget about taking care of myself. So, don't forget you and remember, there is something to be said for getting paid every two weeks LOL! I work harder now than I ever did for my employer! Jackie
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That's a GREAT blog - and a GREAT vow to yourself! You really need to draw a line where work ends and your spare time begins and to get the rest you need (and which everybody needs, for that matter). I hope that you will really stick to this. :-)
ReplyDeleteTake good care of yourself, my dear friend.
Love & hugs