Yesterday on Ann Wayman’s The Golden Pencil, she asked “How Do You Handle Your Phone?” That discussion seemed to center on whether a writer should be available by phone at all times, or if it is acceptable to turn off the phone during periods when you need to concentrate.
I think that is a good question for writers to examine, but I have another phone question for those of us who are work-at-home parents. Actually, the question probably applies to all work-at-home parents, not just those who write.Â
How do you deal with the “house” noise when you are on a business call?
By house noise, I mean that background noise that is inevitably there when you have a house full of kids: crying babies, loud kids, dogs barking, and so on.
When my kids were younger it seemed that the moment I got on the phone they had to have my attention. Even now, I have to remind them to be quiet when I am on the phone.
Sometimes I escape to my bedroom (the furthest room in the house from the living room) and shut the door. I have a friend who sits in her car in her garage to make business calls because it is the only please where she can be sure that she won’t be interrupted.
Others may just shrug the noise off and explain to their clients that they work at home.
What about you? What do you do?
Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved.
6 responses so far ↓
1 Merry // May 30, 2007 at
I go out to the garage, too. Mine is attached to the house, so it’s really a matter of going out the kitchen door for a little quiet. My kids seem to get about ten times louder the minute I’m on the phone, so it’s just easier to walk away for the time I need to concentrate.
2 Karen M. Lynch // May 30, 2007 at
I try to schedule the important phone calls when nobody is home (or in the house). That’s when the dog goes in her crate and I get true quiet. If th lawn guys are here, I don’t answer the call (that’s the one noise I can’t control).
3 Matt Keegan // May 30, 2007 at
If the weather is decent, I’ll sit outside or I’ll ask my wife for help and she’ll keep the kids occupied. School ends here next week, so I think I’ll be checking the new regional library and its internet access as an occasional refuge. Too bad I can’t talk loud at the library though!
4 Lori // May 30, 2007 at
I love the car idea! I’m lucky now that I have a buffer zone– there are three sets of doors I can close between my kids and my office. The youngest is 18, but the noise is still there. I think the idea of simply explaining that you work from home is a good thing. I’ve had clients I’ve talked to who were interrupted by “Daddy” requests, so I think we’re a bit more tolerant to it these days.
5 Helen Ginger // May 30, 2007 at
When my kids were younger and still at home, I closed the door. Didn’t always work, though. I have gone into the garage or into the laundry room. My problem now is that my husband is working at home. He’s upstairs in the loft area and his voice and laugh carries throughout the house. It’s sometimes hard to concentrate. Even when I close the door I can still hear him. Luckily, I work on a laptop and our house is WiFi, so I can move if necessary.
Helen
6 Michi // May 30, 2007 at
I work on a laptop, so I can go anywhere in the house or outside if I need to. I’m also fortunate that my daughter (only child) is one of those ‘quiet kids’ that are generally seen and not heard, so my house noice is limited to the occasional dog bark. It’s usually not a problem.