Comforts of home, office version

Today is Doing Business in Your Bathrobe Day, the 7th annual celebration of the freedom of home business ownership. Today’s the day to make the bathrobe your power suit, or so says Kristie Tamsevicius, whose blog offers “mom-geared work-at-home tips.” (I found Kristie T. via the “Publicity Hound” Joan Stewart‘s Tips of the Week, an ezine featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity, via Donna Papacosta.)

I don’t normally work in my bathrobe; I have it on now over my clothes just to get in the appropriate spirit. But the point is, I COULD.

That’s probably the best thing about working in a home office. I don’t mean being able to work in a bathrobe. I mean having the flexibility to choose to work the way you work best and the way that brings balance to your life. Here’s what I mean:

• Most days, I keep regular work hours. Deadlines keep me focused, but when things are a little quieter, I don’t feel guilty taking a longer lunch break to run errands.
• When my two sons were small, I could help in their classrooms once in a while, go on a field trip or attend a special event during the day, making up the work hours at night or on a weekend. I was home at the beginning and end of the school day and there in case of emergency.
• We have a dog (something the boys lobbied for years ago) because I’m home most days. We keep each other company and we get out for walks during the day, which benefits us both.

I’ve read that just having a measure of control over your day helps ease a stressful job. It’s not that you’re doing any less; but when you know you have some flexibility, you don’t have to waste time worrying.

Wearing a bathrobe while you’re not worrying is just icing on the cake.