Sorry, we’re closed. Because of the temptation to “always work,” the ideal workspace for better work/life balance is one where you can close the door when your working hours are over (you do have “working hours,” don’t you?). If this is not possible, another solution is to use a folding screen or room divider to create a sense of separation. We strongly discourage using your personal bedroom for your work area, as that makes the lines really blurred, and the Feng Shui people really don’t like that either, if you are into that kind of thing. What? I can’t hear you! Do you need to spend a lot of time on the phone with prospects or clients? You will need to make sure that unprofessional sounds (such as dogs barking and children crying) do not interfere with your ability to hear or talk on the phone. If you are discussing sensitive issues, you may not want others in your home to hear your conversations. If necessary, these noise and privacy problems can be addressed with soundproofing or white noise machines (click here for some options). Keep your workspace sacred. Create rules to make sure your family members respect your workspace. If possible, make sure that your family members have their own spaces to study, draw, read, and use a computer. Accidents happen—drinks can get spilled on important paperwork and other people can inadvertently infect your computer with viruses or spyware. Getting young kids an inexpensive, used, or hand-me-down computer for their games and such can be very liberating. Have duplicates of common office supplies and tools like staplers and scissors so that your workspace does not have to be disturbed, and so you won’t be left empty-handed when your family has taken them off somewhere else. Special delivery. Can you hear your doorbell from your office? You may need to receive visitors and accept packages during your workday. If needed, a wireless doorbell chime extender can be easily installed (available at any hardware/home center). If you need to receive packages often when you are not home, you may wish to install a large package drop mailbox, or consider renting a box at a retail mail center location that can accept packages on your behalf. Let yourself in. For co-workers who may require entry into your home, you may find it useful to get an outdoor keypad installed for your garage door opener (if you have one). This keypad will eliminate the need for multiple people to have keys to your home (assuming that you are not locking the door on the interior of the garage into the house). If you have an alarm system, also remember that you can usually set up temporary and secondary codes to avoid giving out your master alarm code. Lorie Marrero is a Professional Organizer and creator of The Clutter Diet, an innovative, affordable online program for home organization. Lorie’s site helps members lose “Clutter-Pounds” from their homes by providing online access to her team of organizers. Lorie writes something insanely practical every few days or so in the Clutter Diet Blog. She lives in Austin, TX, where her company has provided hands-on organizing services to clients since 2000.
