First Word

I hope that my staff agrees with this -- and I suspect they do; but 3L Publishing is an awesome organization to work for and to work with. What is my assumption based on? "Do you have empirical evidence?" you ask. Well, a few fun facts to help persuade you on my premise. We don't have a brick-and-mortar building. We will probably never have a building. Why? Modern business doesn't need these kind of physical establishments to be successful. When I started my company in 2006, it was to escape the constraints of corporate boundaries -- desks in offices in buildings. It was to create a way for me to lose the commute and the time wasted in the commute. My independence enabled me to spend more time with my family; be home when my kids got out of school; and to keep overhead costs down in fuel costs. As a result, I translated the needs to my team. As we've begun to grow, I don't put restraints on how people spend their time or where they spend their time working. I ...

I am often asked how I manage to focus with so many distractions -- two children, loads of laundry crying to be cleaned, husband hanging around, and two barking dogs chewing their squeaky toys. When my children now ages 7 and 13 were smaller, believe it or not, it was easier in some respects. The nanny would come and scoop up the little one and distract them with a toy. When they got older, I resorted to locking my office door. What I teach people who want what appears to them to be the ideal work-at-home setup is to create a space and boundaries within the space. So, here are some tips to help other at-home workers. Boundaries -- there is nothing wrong with locking your office door. A lock is the best clear boundary you can use. And don't feel guilty that you've locked it and unlock it the minute you hear junior knocking for attention. Junior can wait. Also, if junior routinely takes up the habit of pounding on the locked door, teach your wee one not to do that. "When ...