Work From Home Dilemmas

Dear Maggie

Jan 24

Dear Maggie,

Since COVID, I’ve been working from home. I love it in some ways, but it’s also really difficult. As a full-time writer, I assume you work from home too. Do you have any advice on time management and finding the right work-life balance?

Sincerely,

Overwhelmed in Orange

Dear Overwhelmed,

When your home is also your office, the lines between work, play, and downtime can become blurred. It’s a dilemma! On the one hand, I find I have great flexibility to manage my time the way that works best for me rather than following a prescribed 9 - 5 schedule. Of course, some things need to happen during regular business hours, like meetings, but mostly I can do what I want, when I want, provided I get the job done. Great example… it’s 6 am and I am writing this blog post. I’ll take a break at 10 to work out, then participate in Zoom meetings all afternoon. Tomorrow though, I’ll call it early and grab a late lunch with a friend I haven’t seen in ages.

The downside to all this is that sometimes I will work ten or twelve days straight without taking a full day off. Because I have the flexibility to end early, go for a hike in the morning, or clean out my kitchen cabinets whenever I want, I also find myself making up for that missed work time on Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons. Mostly, I don’t mind. I find the trade-off worth it, but sometimes I really do need time off, and that’s harder to do now.

Mostly, the flexibility works for me, and I’m productive in all areas of my life when I manage my time well. From home, I can throw a load of laundry in between editing a chapter and chatting with my agent. I can plan my yoga classes, outdoor time, and puppy play time when it works best for me. I don’t have to squeeze those things in super early in the morning or after a full day of work. From home, I can pace myself, take breaks, and manage my home tasks on my schedule not someone else’s.

However, because I’m in my personal space, I’m also prone to distraction. Before COVID, if I found myself paying too much attention to the laundry, or the kids were around making noise, I’d pack up and head to the coffee shop for a few hours. With the pleasant smells, background noise, and lack of personal distractions, I’d accomplish a lot. Now, that’s still off the table, so I’ve had to adapt.

Working from home certainly has its ups and downs, so here are a few tricks you might find useful to stay productive and balanced…

Plan ahead. Each Sunday, I plan for the upcoming week. First, I’ll calendar in my meetings, appointments and workouts. Next, I’ll determine what needs to be accomplished and when it’s due, and I’ll plan blocks of time to work on those task. For example, this week I need to finish editing a good ten chapters of my work in progress. I know about how long that takes, so I’ll carve out the time I need. I’m also moderating several panels for an upcoming event, which requires significant planning on my part. I’ve blocked off time for that as well. There’s more happening this week, but you get the idea.

Create a designated work space. I’ve always loved spreading out on our large kitchen table to work, and sometimes my house is quiet and this works well. When it doesn’t, since Starbucks is out, I have an office space upstairs. I don’t love being sequestered there, but I’ve added some candles, a pretty lamp, and a comfortable chair, so it’s a good option when the house is too busy for me to work in the center of it all.

Strive for balance. Because I often need the weekends to work, I’m careful to plan downtime into my daily schedule. But if I’ve gone too long without a full day off, I’ll make sure to calendar one in as I plan. There are also times of the year when I need more downtime, like winter. I simply can’t keep myself going after dinner when it’s already been dark for two hours. I’m more sluggish, less productive, and I require more self-care to function. Instead of fighting this, I plan for it.

While I certainly haven’t perfected this work-from-home situation, for me, the benefits outweigh the challenges. I hope you’ll find that to be the case as well. Thanks for the great question, and I hope this was helpful!