Where to Work?

Going into the professional world, I always assumed that when I had kids I would work from home for at least part of the time. I held onto this assumption even for a few weeks after I had Kallie. I surprised myself by ultimately deciding to work everyday in the office (although on a somewhat flexible schedule of getting in early and leaving a little early). Luckily, my work was great with me and wanted to work with me on the option that would make the most sense re-entering the workforce post baby. I’ve been trying to have a lot more focus on being present which played a big part in my decision. It all boiled down to: when I was at work, I wanted to be at work. When I was at home, I wanted to be home.

I know that a lot of people work at home and do it very successfully. I love having the option to work from home when I need to or if I need to finish some things up after Kallie goes to bed. With my personality, it would be hard to work from home continuously. When I start something, I like to do it until it is done [insert Netflix binge watching] or until I have a dedicated time to stop. I felt that if I worked from home, I would never feel like I was giving either work or home life the appropriate amount of attention and would never feel “done” (and I would just want to play with Kallie all the time). Granted, I don’t think we ever feel as though we allocate enough time to our responsibilities at home because there are always things that we can be working on, but it would be so much harder for me to feel like I was being there for Kallie even though I would be home. I would be in every sense of the word “even when you’re here you’re not here”.

By compartmentalizing these two huge components of my life, it has allowed me to be a better me at work and a better me at home. During my time at work I can be completely focused (albeit our 12:00 Diet Coke runs), and when I get home, I can more easily flip the switch to “just be” with Kallie. I try to put my phone to the side and focus on her. There are obviously times when I need to take phone calls at home or login to finish something, for which I am grateful I have the ability to do work from home, but overall I appreciate the separation of work and home.

 

What is your setup and what have you found works best for you?!