Hi, I am working from home(homebased) and i have constant meetings and calls and deadlines.never a dull moment. family and relatives are coming from india and just wondering how to manage. how do u all manage? right now i just eat leftovers for lunch as i dont take any lunch break, max 15 to 30 mins away from laptop. with relatives at home it is difficult for them to understand that i am really working and wont be able to cook a fancy feast everyday. problem is not many of my cousins are in IT field atleast the girls in our relatives circle. so they dont understand or get the concept. any tips? Thanks!
Well, you either have to set a home office, with a desk and a door. This will allow you to separate yourself from the chaos, so you can actually get some work done. All the men I know, can successful lock themselves away in this bedroom or workroom, and no one would bother them. Somehow, this changes for women, but this obvious separation would allow your relatives to respect that you are not able to be social and interactive during these times. The other choice is leaving the house to work. You can possibly set up shop at the library or coffee shop or bookstore, this way, you can focus on work stuff rather than home stuff. You can't be expected to cook, if you aren't there... It's no fun lugging your things outside though.
I would say Ditto! what @BhumiBabe mentioned. Setting a different place which you can lock and focus in mostly works. But do expect to frequently assist the relatives and guests in their needs during the day initially. We tried to mark regularly needed items in the house as much as possible, especially for the kitchen, bath and living areas. But still had to take breaks throughout the working day for initial 10 days or so. Write down all your notes/ important phone numbers/ instructions at multiple places throughout the house. It might help them instead of asking you a lot of questions during your work hours. I am not sure how you will handle it during large meetings though. Maybe set up a place in a garage or nearby friend's place if they have a separate room. I remember once I ended up working whole day out of nearby quiet coffee shop. That was embarrassing for me though ( a lot of team dramas and hehehahas). Do check out virtual office space in your city. They have very affordable rates per hour for conferences/ meetings. They also provide you an office like room setting for monthly needs like this one NYC Virtual Office - Including Mail Forwarding Services. That is a better option for long-term guests at home. Hope it helps!
Thanks Bhumibabe and blessings1010. I have a home office set up in a separate room. as i need to have few monitors connected ( thats why cannot work from library or coffee shop), then printer, office phone etc. file cabinet. we can audits at home so i was asked to set up all when joining. but still it is very difficult for them to understand. Virtual office space sounds great. will check it out. Thanks!!
Just a lock on the door, and a post-it outside saying till when you are "on a call" and cannot be disturbed. No elaborate explanations. Present your non-availability matter-of-fact'ly. it is as difficult for working women to recognize that they don't need guests/relatives to understand why they can't cook a fancy feast everyday. cook whatever you can. don't apologize or be self-effacing about your hosting efforts.
Hi @chaaral, I understand your problem. We women ourselves also keep connected to home or kitchen or laundry. Our mind keeps running like 'let me put laundry in washer, takes on 5 mins' ,'put in dryer' . Somehow alone we can still manage but with family around they expect you to talk, if not cook for them at least. Just let them know beforehand so they do not have any expectations. If you have set of family ( like more than 1) then you may not get issues as they can get busy themselves. Also, are u in apartment or home? If you have home, i think its easier as you can stay at upper floor or basement while family is downstairs, kind of away from sight and noise. For cooking, prepare everything early or night before and let them know. Infact give them independence to cook or warm themselves. Sometimes people are not comfortable in other's kitchen. Set them up accordingly so they can self prepare.
Clearly tell them that this is a PAID job. Many of our relatives think if we are on computer - we are doing time pass. Complete all your work like cooking and all before your work day starts. Tell your co workers \ boss that you have relatives at home and MIGHT need a li'l buffer to complete deadlines. Work behind a closed door as others suggested so that you don't get disturbed. Make an itinerary for your relatives and send them sight seeing in and around your home. Tell them to go for a walk or parks or super market.
Thankyou ladies!! really appreciate your ideas. it took a while for hubby and kids to get used too. kids keep coming up to talk to me while i have so much going on. now my kids understand that they cannot talk to me or make loud noise while i am on call. so hoping it goes well. Thanks!!
Quick answer Starbucks ! Cook more for dinner and leave the leftovers in the fridge for lunch, Teach then to use the microwave. Leave the house.