I picked out. Most mornings it is a pleasant place in which to work.  This morning, however, I feel like I am at the zoo. I live in a neighborhood, but the area is somewhat rural meaning I see the occasional turkey trotting through the yard, some bunnies, something that appears to be a woodchuck, and this morning a swarm of geese.

For the past 30 minutes they have been honking away, LOUDLY. Shutting the windows doesn’t drown out their noise. It is like nothing I have ever heard at my house – it appears they are having some type of “discussion”- and it is completely and totally distracting.

• We all have children under the age of 5
• We are all within a few years age of each other (Gen X)
• We have all found ways to work that allow us to spend time with our kids

What is most remarkable is that everyone’s paid day job is something they want to be doing. One mom works three days per week in a science field, another works one day in the office and telecommutes a few other days as a journalist, another works some weekends as a coach, and another works part-time, splitting child care duties with his spouse who also works part time.

During my college days I recall being saddled with the label “Generation X: the slacker generation.” On the contrary, I think my generation has made great strides in creating a better balance between work and family. There’s nothing slacker about it. We’ve decided we want to spend time with our children as well as work, and we’ve been rewriting the rules to do so.

Rewriting these rules is exactly what Katty Kay and Claire Shipman have written about in their new book “Womenomics: Write Your Own Rules for Success.”  The book talks about how women can influence the balance between work and family, and that we don’t have to climb the corporate ladder in the traditional sense to achieve success.

There’s a good interview on US News & World Report’s site about moms finding creative ways to work.  The interview is  with author Sharon Reed Abboud about her book “All Moms Work: Short-Term Career Strategies for Long-Range Success”.

I send invoices and for the most part, I get paid within a couple weeks. But it is critical to track invoices and follow up. Recently I called a client after four weeks to inquire about the status and he insisted he had mailed payment. A week later I followed up again and he admitted the invoice had gotten stashed under a pile of papers. A week after that phone call I finally received payment. While this can be a detriment to being self-employed it is more just something to consider by those taking on 1099-contractor positions. I, as the self-employed individual, have to be my own payroll, accounting, human resources and IT departments. Just a little something to think about.

I work from home. My kids are home most of the time. Kids + kids eating + plus home office = mess. The days when my kids eat three meals at home plus snacks are particularly gruesome. If I bend down one more time to clean up crumbs I might just lose my head.

My husband says I’ve tried enough of these products that I should write reviews. Well, maybe he’s right…so here’s one.

First I want to point out that I am not being paid by anyone to write this, nor am I endorsing any product. I’m just a mom who wants to share what works for me. For those who telecommute or not, we all need a quick way to clean up. Given that I have a central vacuum system with a 30-ft hose, I prefer to not have to drag it out every time my kids eat. I also live in a house with spiral stairs so bringing a stick vac down to my office is ideal.

We lost the charger to our Broom Vac and dirtdevil.com seemed to have it “out of stock” forever, so I bought the Swivel Sweeper. I like the fact that it can “swivel”, is cordless, and it doesn’t have a filter. I find that the filters in things such as the Dustbuster become really stinky after time. I’m not looking to clean the whole house here, just pick up some crumbs, and maybe some paper clips, wayward mini-Legos, cheerios…you get the idea.

I am pleased that this thing actually works! It is much better than the unfortunate Swiffer Carpet Flick (I really do try a lot of products). I like that the unit head really swivels around everything including chair legs. It works on low pile carpet, wood floors and tile. It has picked up paper clips, crumbs, leaves, and dirt although I sometimes have to go over the area a second time. And this thing is light. At only 2 lbs. my 20-month-old loves to push it around.

Best of all is that there is no waste–I just hold the unit over the trash can and use one hand (one hand!) to pinch the little red tabs that open the door on the bottom and let all of the debris pour out.

The only potential drawback is that you must empty it after every use. I often use a hand vacuum such as the Dustbuster and then simply put it back into its charging station. Now that I’ve written this I realize this could be part of the stinky filter problem. But come on, do you really empty it every time? I didn’t think so. With the Swivel Sweeper, however, the debris can slide out of the compartment on the bottom. I once took it from the closet, still full, and a bunch of gunk came tumbling out onto the floor. Lesson learned. I’d love to hear what other readers use to keep their home office clean and tidy.

“Employee hit a turkey while riding a bike.”

The full survey results are here on Career Builder’s site: http://preview.tinyurl.com/b5gh8b

But this survey points to the fact that people will do just about anything to get a break from the daily office grind. A person very close to me has admitted that during his office meetings most people are tuned out because they have their Blackberry/iPhone/laptop with them so they can be “doing something useful.”

In the corporate office meetings are a mainstay. When I worked in an office meetings pulled me from my work day up to 75% of the day at times. Some were useful, many could have been accomplished via conference call and WebEx, both of which can be done while telecommuting. If employees are given a chance to work from home on occasion at least it would shake up the routine a little bit and maybe even provide a fresh perspective. An article I read many years ago (and which I cannot locate) summarized research about the effect of color on worker habits. It concluded that the standard grays of office cubes were not conducive to creative and productive work. I’m not sure research was really needed on this–just ask just any office worker or read Dilbert and you will come to the conclusion that office décor is pretty soulless. But, the article revealed, changing the color of the cube could be helpful to workers’ attitudes. I think changing the “office” once in a while could be helpful, too.

Check out this article titled “Good work environment improves satisfaction, productivity”from The Chicago Tribune.

Setting a work structure and sticking to it. Sounds easy, right? With kids you might think it is easy to have a defined period of time for working, mostly when they are not around. But when the kids are absent, either out of the house, say at preschool, or napping, it’s easy to think I’ll just quickly empty the dishwasher. Emptying the dishwasher turns into cleaning the smudges off the front of the dishwasher, then noticing how dirty the kitchen floor is and getting the mop….before you know it the kitchen is spotless and you haven’t made a dent in today’s work plan.

For work at home or telecommuting professionals it’s important to follow some guidelines, and having self-motivation is a requirement. After all, you are responsible for getting the work done and meeting deadlines. These four tips are what I consider my most essential to achieving high productivity within limited hours.

1. Set working hours (see post “Dreaming of a Day Off“).
This is critical. You must set regular working hours as you would at an office. Though they may not be 9-5, they must be a specific time in which each day allows. This provides you with a schedule, which many people thrive on, and promotes a sense of accomplishment when your “time is up.” Knowing that you really worked during those hours is satisfying and will prevent a nagging feeling later in the day that you must “catch up on work.”

2. Do not turn on the TV.
Unless you are a journalist who needs to see what the broadcast news is promoting or an analyst who needs to keep tabs on stock quotes on CNN, keep the TV off. It’s distracting and akin to an office cubicle neighbor chatting on the phone. No matter what you think, you cannot fully concentrate with the TV buzzing in the background. If you need some background noise, music is a wonderful option that is not always welcome in an office setting. Take advantage of having a home office!

3. Fight off hunger pangs.
Bring a drink and/or snacks into your office. When you shut the door, you are there until time is up. You didn’t make a quick run out to Dunkin’ Donuts at 10 a.m. when you were in a corporate office, did you? If you break for an out-of-office liaison you will waste an enormous amount of time that could have been spent working.

4. Beware of web surfing.
This may be most difficult of all. You are at a computer in the comfort of your own home. The CEO isn’t going to walk past your desk and see you browsing Amazon.com for Spike the Ultra Dinosaur or checking on who “friended” you on Facebook. Facebook and other web activities can suck the time in what seems an exponential way (don’t believe me? Try playing Pathwords.). These “check-ins” will put a severe dent in your work hours. Get them out of the way, then get to work.

I spent much of my twenties caring entirely too much what everyone else thought about me. But now that I take my kids to the grocery store/post office/Target/dry cleaner/insert a multitude of locations here, there are countless opportunities for embarrassment. Were I not a telecommuting mom, working from home with kids undertow, I think these opportunities might be fewer; not obsolete, but certainly fewer. How could they not? And after pulling my toddler up from the floor of the busy post office, screaming because we have no letters to put in the mail slot today, or watching him toss himself onto the mall floor (do you notice a trend?) because he wants to ride in the special firetruck-shaped stroller, I simply don’t have the time (or energy) to care what everyone else around me is thinking. I care about what is happening in front of me now and how I can turn the situation into a life lesson for my children. And though embarrassing at times, I’m still glad I’m the one who is teaching them.