It’s not surprising to know that among the self-employed in Canada, women are more likely to work from home than men /1. It’s also not surprising that many self-employed women work from home due to family-related reasons. Those reasons include caring for children, caring for other family members, or other family responsibilities.
As one such self-employed woman, this is the primary reason I began working from home and establishing a service-based business. The ideal scenario for me was the idea of being available to my children while still contributing to the household income.
Although the ideal scenario, it is not picture-perfect. Working from my virtual office at home and catering to my children’s needs is often like walking the fine line of a tightrope. One wrong step and the balancing act come to an abrupt end.
Along with the tight schedules, client phone calls, and an array of projects, comes preparing meals, getting children dressed, and planning daily activities to keep my child occupied for a few hours to ensure my day is productive.
It’s not an easy feat, but over the past 12 years of working from home, I’ve been relentless in finding ways to co-exist and manage the balancing act of family vs. work demands. I now teach others how they, too, can manage their virtual office.
A vital component of the balancing act is awareness. It’s about understanding that to be successful in a virtual office; you need to make good decisions, set boundaries, be passionate about what you do and take very good care of yourself. It’s not only understanding this but being aware of how each of these relates to you as a virtual office worker.
Establishing boundaries is one of the most important elements for any virtual office (and the sanity of the virtual office worker). Boundaries are the limits we set and define what is acceptable and unacceptable in our personal and professional lives.
Setting boundaries for the virtual office encompasses:
- Individual Boundaries. The division between ourselves and the individuals we live with (family, friends) and work with (clients, colleagues).
- Physical Boundaries. The physical separation of home and workspace.
- Time Boundaries. The time commitment to work, family, and yourself.
Each of these will need to be addressed to ensure you continue to walk that tightrope steadily. Without boundaries, it becomes much more difficult to find the balance needed in the virtual office.
Keeping in mind that setting boundaries will not work solely on its own, you must also communicate and enforce those boundaries for them to be successful.
Boundaries are just one consideration of many when working from home. It is one step you can implement right away to ensure a happy co-existence between work vs. family demands.
After all, we chose to work from home for a reason; let’s make it a successful one.
/ 1 – Component of Statistics Canada Catalogue no.11-008-X, Canadian Social Trends, Working at Home: an update, Dec. 7, 2010
About the Author:
Michelle Jamison is a Virtual Assistant, Coach, Speaker, College Instructor, and Author. Her latest book, Virtual Office Essentials: Success Strategies for the Virtual Work Environment provides virtual office workers with solid strategies to ensure a successful virtual work environment.
