Today I will share with you the story of “The Many Home Offices of CHK”. I’m sure you’ll find it to be quite entertaining (but that’s only because you weren’t doing the heavy lifting!)
Well, I started my typing business when we were in a tiny, teeny tiny, apartment, so my “office” was a small desk with a computer in my bedroom. That worked okay because my daughter was an infant and didn’t crave access to the computer … yet.
We later moved to a house and I thought my office would be in a little alcove in my living room. The lighting was great. I could see the great outdoors, keep track of my kids and get work done. Hah!
My spot was great in the summertime for the reasons I mentioned above. However, when winter rolls around, the sun spent several hours on my computer screen, making it impossible to see anything that I was working on.
Then there were the problems of getting beaned in the head when my kids threw their toys around. Oh, and did I mention that having a direct sight to the refrigerator isn’t the best way to lose weight?
So, I finally gave up and moved upstairs to the spare bedroom. And for me that worked. Although I’m in the first room that the kids have to pass to get to their toys and room, if my door is closed they (for the most part) don’t bother me. Well, that was before my son was born. He has radar and interrupts me as a matter of course. I think they like the idea that I can’t see what they’re up to. (Little do they understand that mothers always know when mischief is afoot!
And best of all, I had to do exercise to go to the refrigerator, so my new location cut down on a lot of unnecessary snacking and distractions (such as the home telephone). I had my business telephone upstairs (I used Vonage at the time; now I use Skype and GoogleTalk) which stopped me from having unneccessary conversations with my family and friends who just can’t seem to get the idea that “I’m Working Here!” (Another hazard of working from home, but more on that later.)
So now, six years into my work at home journey I am hiding in my bedroom to do work. My bedroom has a bathroom, so I can grab some drinks and snacks, lock the door and not be seen for a couple of hours. If Michael spots me I can’t shake him, so this has become my temporary office until he gets a life. 
Actually, he’s a lot better than a couple of years ago. He’s starting to develop a life apart from me, so I may be able to move back upstairs in a couple of months.
All I can say is that I’m glad that my primary business is portable — I only need my laptop to get most things done — because I can’t imagine what my husband would have said if he had to move real office equipment each time we had a new baby. He’s a saint, but he never aspired to being a one man moving company.
So where do you keep your home office these days?
