Grandma’s Space for Work Provides Added Time for Family

Four months ago, I decided to rent office space outside of our family home to allow me to separate my work from my home life. Since that time, I have learned to balance each day at home with increased time for my family. I have also found that:

• I was able to declutter which has made me more organized with easy access to relevant files.
• When reorganizing my files, I was able to revisit projects from the past and integrate these into current projects and outcomes.
• I am more efficient with my time as I have less distractions.
• My creativity has increased because I can focus and think in a quiet space.
• When reviewing previous projects, I learned that I needed to change how I was managing my role as secretary for various committee projects or notetaking for project groups because I would delay sending out minutes or notes until right before a meeting.
• I have changed my timeline for sending out draft minutes or notes. I have learned to send them out to committee members immediately with follow-up actions so they can complete assigned action items with colleagues immediately.
• The timeline checklists of action items and the agreed upon next meeting date is now published right after a meeting. This allows everyone to have more time to plan to attend the next assigned meeting date.

When I consider my increased organizational skills, efficiency, and productivity, I am thankful for moving my office out of the house. Initially, I was concerned about how my planned absences would impact the care of my grandchild. I have learned that my increased productivity allows me to more fully enjoy my childcare responsibilities. I now have more time for focused play with my grandchild.

Happy added family time!

Joyce

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