Creating a Better Life

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Working from home is sweet. Not that I”m doing it full time (yet), but I’ve started to have a little taste of not being so dependant on my J.O.B. (Just Over Broke) - and man it tastes good.

I’m also in a very good position to be doing this - no kids in the house, fairly quiet neighborhood, and my best friend and lover both live with me and support me in it.

Thank god my best friend and lover just happen to be the same person, because we live in a very small apartment - 4 rooms. Kitchen, Living Room, Bedroom, and Bathroom.

No place for an office (yet). My home office is in a corner of the living room, right next to the door to the kitchen.

So while there are no distractions from kids, my wife (who also spends much of her time here) and I can end up on top of each other quite frequently. While that can be fun ;), if I’m in the middle of a writing session, it’s just too easy for her to call out from the bedroom “Hey, did you hear about this on CNN?” or “Have you paid the gas bill?”.

And of course, there’s always the dreaded “Watcha doin’?” when she needs to get something from the kitchen.

Since we are in the middle of transitioning into this new lifestyle, old habits do die hard. When my writing and web work were strictly hobbies, these weren’t a problem. Now that they beginning to produce an income (I haven’t heard “Why Don’t You Think and Get a Job” in a while), we’ve had to come up with some guidlines.

Enter the Red Cup

We needed a signal - some way to tell her that “I’m working… please don’t bother me right now.” I couldn’t just tell her “Busy” without sounding short, and I couldn’t acknowledge her entrances or questions without completely losing my train of thought.

When I’m sitting on the floor in the Burmese position with my eyes closed, it’s a pretty good bet that I’m meditating and that I’d prefer that she didn’t disturb me. Sitting at the computer and typing could be anything - I could be working on the Great American Novel, or I could be dashing off an email to my mom.

It was in one of the David Allen podcasts that I first heard the idea of using a signal to show people that one is not to be disturbed. If memory serves, the example given was of an open office in Japan - since the floor plan in the office they were discussing was so wide open, there was no way to really say “Don’t Bother Me” by closing a door or putting up a sign. So they used a red sash - if the person had on the sash, you didn’t bother them.

My wife and I decided to use a red cup, set on top of the computer monitor. The color and height made it noticeable, and it’s easy enough to put up and take down when I’m starting or stopping work. Anything can be used - put on a baseball cap, put up a flag - it really doesn’t matter, as long as the people who live with you understand and respect that when the signal is up, you aren’t to be disturbed, unless someone’s going to die if you aren’t.

To eliminate audible distractions, a set of headphones with whatever music I’m currently in the mood for does the trick. I prefer instrumental stuff (either Baroque or Jazz) simply because that way lyrics that I’m not paying attention to aren’t being planted in my head.

So far it’s working well… I do take the cup down when I’m not working, and she has yet to say word one to me while it’s up.

Mutual respect is a beautiful thing!

If you have any other tips for work at home newbies in small environments, please feel free to leave them in the comments section.

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change, concentration, marriage, music, think and grow rich, work, writing