Shhh!...I'm Counting!

I was going to title this post "The Art of Getting Stuff Done When You Are Constantly Being Interrupted," but that seemed a bit wordy.  But now you get the idea, right? 

I run my business from my home, which is wonderful for a lot of reasons, the main one being that I am always accessible to my kids while still being afforded the opportunity to pursue my own creative/professional interests.  Being their mom is, has been, and always will be my favorite and most important job.  I am super-fortunate and grateful to have the option of staying home with them, and over-the-top lucky to be able to have a successful small business that is fun and fulfilling.

That is my "before I say BUT" paragraph.  If you are put-off or offended by anything said in the rest of this post, reread that little blurb, stop, and love me for being such a great, appreciative, nurturing kind of gal.

But...oh, BUT...sometimes working from home--with your kids and husband and laundry and goldfish and grocery list and email and phone calls and baseball games and diaper pail all vying for your attention--can be a real challenge.  A challenge that pushes the limits of your patience and self-discipline and makes you want to use those nice pointy knitting needles to poke out your own eyes or whap somebody on the head.  Not me, but you know, it might do that to you :).

The biggest challenge I have run into lately is that of being interrupted while working.  Interruptions are nothing new to me; I have three kids and haven't had a hot cup of tea or coffee uninterrupted in seven years.  But there is something about being interrupted when you are in your "creative groove."  When I am designing, creating, or doing any of the tasks that nurture this little business that means so much to the individual me, I find it much more difficult to handle the interruptions with even a little grace.

My husband and kids are used to seeing me knit, and usually I can do it while talking, watching TV, reading a book, or whatever.  This has conditioned them, in a way, to think that talking to me about baseball/Legos/arithmetic/farts while I am knitting is okay, and usually it is (well, everything but the farts...I never really want to hear about farts).  But sometimes I have to focus a little more closely on what is going on in the pattern, and inevitably that is when everyone needs me.  My current way to deal with this situation is to  glare at the offender and hiss, "Shhh!...I'm counting!"  It doesn't seem like such a bad reaction here, but the look of "Whoa lady.  Put.down.the.gun." that they give me when I say it makes me think that it is a pretty ugly scene.  Effective, but ugly.

So, in hopes of reducing my stress levels and scaring my family less, I have been drafting some ideas for keeping interruptions to a minimum while knitting and yet still being available for the people I love. 

1.) Have "Complex Knitting" hours:  I have heard at-home workers talk about the importance of office hours, but honestly, I have to squeeze business and creativity in whenever I can.  However, I can see how it might benefit me to set aside a special time each week when Jim or a sitter can hang out with the kids and I can do the projects that require more of my attention.  No interruptions allowed.  Just knitting.

2.) Take a number:  This was actually a joke when I first thought of it, but now I kind of think it is genius.  I want to carry around a little Post-It pad that I have pre-numbered and whenever I set it out, it is a signal that I can't be interrupted and that you should take a number.  I will get to you shortly.  Can you imagine if this worked?!?!  I could get through check-out lanes and phone conversations with quiet ease!  Let me dream...

3.) Work from home out of the home:  In my house, I am a mom, a cook, a maid, a chauffeur, a secretary...but when I leave my house, most of those responsibilities stay at home.  Just for my own mental clarity (because if I am going to be honest, my own thoughts interrupt my creative process just as much as my husband and kids), it helps to remove myself from where all of my other to-dos are and focus on the task at hand.  This usually means knitting at Starbucks for me, which means that I get a hot cup of coffee AND I get to knit...heaven, I tell you.

As much as I am challenged, and if I am going to be honest, simply annoyed by all the interruptions that define my work life right now, I know that in a funny way they are my biggest blessing.  If I take a step back and get some perspective, I am pretty lucky to have people who care enough about me and need me enough to interrupt at all.  And see?  Now I am full circle to being a good respectable mom who has never thought about using duct tape to get a few minutes of quiet...