It happens! You work from home and鈥攊n the middle of an important videocall鈥攖here鈥檚 a knock at the front door. Looking out the window, you see that a cable TV truck is in your driveway. A technician has arrived to resolve your Wi-Fi signal issues鈥攅xcept it鈥檚 two hours earlier than the appointment window you were given. 鈥淚鈥檓 sorry! Please excuse me a moment,鈥� you say, and mute yourself before answering the door. You direct the technician to the router and return to your desk to rejoin the meeting. You鈥檙e back in work mode.
The occasional work from home (WFH) interruption is inevitable and increasingly more relatable. Because of technology, WFH is not the exotic proposition it used to be. A February 2025 Gallup poll shows that over half of the United States workforce is employed either entirely from home or in a hybrid form. One of the main challenges of WFH is the demarcation of professional and personal responsibilities. You鈥檙e at home but you鈥檙e at work. And two essential concepts must be considered for successful WFH鈥攆lexibility and boundaries.
The WFH employee enjoys flexibility. And flexibility is freedom, which is great for work-life balance. It might show up as the capacity to reschedule a meeting when your child鈥檚 home with the flu or to go for a walk in the park during your lunch break. WFH nicely accommodates the reasonable deviation during the workday. The flexibility WFH offers shouldn鈥檛 invert a practical work schedule, though. You win at WFH as you would with work from office (WFO), with consistent performance and efficient delivery.
A WFH position will require boundaries. Make a resolute contract with yourself鈥攁nd possibly with others in your household鈥攖o support the best possible conditions for focused work during business hours. Maintain a functional workspace, aim to keep distractions to a minimum, and leave enough wiggle room for breaks. Be disciplined. The line between duties and personal affairs may blur at times, but it can鈥檛 be eradicated. Self-accountability is key when you鈥檝e been entrusted with WFH. Your integrity matters regardless of where work occurs.
A cable technician showing up unexpectedly during a work call is a relative inconvenience鈥攁 brief diversion in the WFH day. To be sure, more pressing personal duties will sometimes arise to demand your attention. It鈥檚 okay, though, because you probably view this trade-off as a built-in benefit of the WFH agreement. It鈥檚 a given that work and personal matters need to be balanced during WFH. Use flexibility to your advantage Set boundaries to guard the workday. Find a cadence that upholds professional standards.