How to be Professional when Working-From-Home

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By slashdotMom
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What? A professional at home?

"Mommy, mommy I have to go poop now - come wipe my butt!", hollers my toddler (in my face), while I'm on the phone.

What? A professional at home? Any other time this certainly wouldn't of phased me, however, I just so happened to be on the phone with a client who was interested in making a very large purchase from me.

I would like to of died! Instead, I start to apologize and explain that I'm a work-at-home mom and that the daycare was closed due to vacations, etc... Thank goodness my client had a sense of humor! He immediately started to laugh and told me that he has 3 kids of his own.

So, needless-to-say, being professional while working-from-home can be quite challenging at times, especially when you have kids. I learned, very early on, being a work-at-home mom requires daycare - period!

Creating and maintaining a professional persona while working-from-home has been vital to my success. Consider a few steps that I have taken and see how they might help you as well:

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Create a routine work schedule for yourself. Don't allow yourself to be distracted with house-work or running errands - you'll never get anything done.
Step 2

Make your routine work schedule known to your family and friends. Make it clear to them that you are working during this time.
Step 3

If you deal with clients or customers, have normal business or working hours during the day when they can contact you.
Step 4

Answer your phone as a professional, just as you would if you were working for a company away from your home.
Step 5

Organize your work area just as you would if you were working away from home. Keep toys, empty dinner plates, etc... out.
Step 6

Never lose your sense-of-humor - you're going to need it!

Tips & Warnings

It takes self-discipline, planning, creativity and juggling to be a successful work-at-home professional, to say the least. Don't get discouraged. Let time, experience and experimentation be your guides and teachers.