Ahhh - you dont want to get me started!
I used to homeschool the children, so we were all three home together all day every day. I had "rules", which the children followed very well. The phone rang one afternoon and I threw my hand up and snapped my fingers once (the signal that 'chaos' turns to 'silence' -
now). The TV went off and the children ran off to go do whatever it is kids their age do when they're "playing quietly" - usually meant reading, homework or playing monopoly in the play room.
This all happens by the second ring - we had a good routine. I dont have a problem working in the midst of my children or the sounds of their playing, but like things to be quiet and not to be distracted when on the phone or when another adult is in the room.
So I take the call, and its a new client... which turns into a good 45 minutes to an hour on the phone as they have a 'rush project' and we are working out the details. Its going great, I've almost sealed the deal... and then I hear this awful noise coming from the kitchen - some kind of cracking or popping noise. I get up to investigate, still talking in the meantime, and then I round the corner into the kitchen and see lightning coming out of the microwave and my poor daughter standing there watching like this:
I made quick apologies to my client and put the phone down to stop the microwave and make sure Ann Marie was okay. When I picked the phone back up she was laughing - turns out she was a single mother of four herself
I was off the phone pretty quick after that and checked on my daughter. She said she wanted a snack and knew not to interrupt me while on the phone, so she decided to heat it up herself (aluminum foil and all). LOL I still get tickled when I remember the look on her face (
) hehe.
Working from home usually always means that we have more than one thing going on at a time... it
requires multi-tasking
I'd love to hear more work-at-home stories... what do you do to maintain professionalism in the midst of household activities? What is your routine?
I have to say, Cheryl hit the nail on the head when she named her latest book