This social worker works from home.

I don't know if I've shared with all of you but I'm a "remote" social worker. That means that if I'm not in a session with a client at their homes or in their communities, I'm working from my office ie. my home or wherever I may be such as in my car or in a coffee shop. And as with everything it has it's perks (rahhh for talking to high powered county attorneys on conference calls while in my pjs) but it also has its downfalls (such as not being taken seriously as when my mom wants to drop by when I'm working because I'm just home so I'm not really working, right?)

I would eventually love to write a post one day where I can offer to all of you some tips to making this "remote"/"telecommute" thing work but....I have to get there first. And as of right now, I'm totally not there. I'm struggling every day to try to find some balance.

I'm actually bless really. My husband has gotten laid off last year and has been able to be home and care for the two kids. So more often than not, usually there are physically all four of us home on a given day. I try to schedule my in-home sessions with my families back to back on certain days of the week so that I'm not commuting every day. And so on my days where I don't have sessions with clients, I'm working from my "office" aka this room in the basement which is quite nice really since we had it done brand new with modern decor and a simple design that should "motivate" me to work.

However with a full house of husband, who seriously needs me to tell him step by step of how to do things and where things are for the hundredth time, and two little ones who are so close in age that they think they each are the only child thus act and fight like ones, it's been hard (to say the least) about getting work done at home. I'm finding myself driving to my agency to find an empty space to work more than working at home.

As with most of my families that I'm working with, I know what's preventing my progress and I know what I have to do. The thing that is missing is actually DOING it.

1.) I know I need to set a schedule and STICK to it. Just because I can work at 7am or 11am and go until 11pm or 1am, does not mean I should do it. I need to remember I'm getting paid for 40 hours and no more. I usually will find myself working 29 hours one week then 62 the next. It's crazy and unpredictable.

2.) I have to remember that I am working for my family so I need to let go of the mom guilt! It's not like the kids are being held captive with an anal stranger; they are upstairs with their father whose sole job is to take care of them and play with them. Yes, they do miss me and want to spend time with me, but they get that when I'm "off" work.

And that's all I got. For now. Will try to keep you posted on my work on my work.