SFNest's Profile

I started working from home a few days every week when my son was still at home, and I started again when I was moved from a private office into a cubicle. I come in on days when meetings are scheduled, but not otherwise. It's a short cab ride in, if I need to go in unexpectedly. I think it's a great thing for introverts like me - I get enough interaction with others on the days that I'm in the office, and some time to get back to square one again when working at home. I think it would be tough for those who struggle with discipline - you need to be mindful of and honest about your own tendencies. I find it way easier to get into the "zone" at home, and really get things taken care of, especially if the task involves writing something long and complicated. I find it useful to have something else going on, like a few loads of laundry, to make sure that I don't sit down for too long at a time. I always try to make a clear break between work and home - once I'm done, I put everything I was working on away, which helps create a separation.

I shared a room with my two younger sisters for many years - from the time the youngest was a baby still in the crib, with me and my middle sister in bunkbeds. I have only good memories. And we all learned how to sleep with some disturbances, which helped us all.

Just one thing to add - the best thing I ever did in this arena is to force myself, when moving, to go through every single thing BEFORE putting it into a moving box. Now I know that when my stuff comes out of storage at our new place, I won't need to do another huge purge of stuff. I'm willing to bet, though, that after having lived without a bunch of my stuff for a while, I'll be willing to part with even more . . .

I had exactly this problem in my now sold but not forgotten 1970's condominium. I measured the space once the wet bar was removed (old, faded and peeling grass cloth! Ack!) and hunted around on the internet to find a bookcase that would fit. It took no time at all to find a really nice bookcase with glass shelves that fit right into the alcove. I dressed it up with cookbooks and pottery, and that was that. Extra book storage, lovely piece of furniture, done.