Staying Professional While Working At Home

I saw this article the other day and it got me thinking. How hard is it to be professional while working from home with your kids running around the house?

The title kinda threw me off at first, though. "Moms: Can You Really Work at Home?" is a very strange title for an article about professionalism. Still, the basis for the article is valid. How do you maintain a professional attitude while working at home? The article says you are either a segregator, meaning you completely separate your work space from your family space, or you are an integrator that does everything at the same time.

I think the segregator model is a little unrealistic for your typical SAHM. First of all, your typical SAHM cannot afford to get a babysitter just to get a little work done. The cost of daycare is one of the most common reasons for families to make the stay-at-home decision. Plus, if your kids are young, creating too many boundaries and rules just isn't going to work. I guarantee you a rule about not talking while mom is on the phone would never fly in my house.

The article did mention a couple of resources for moms that work at home. The website The Entrepreneurial Parent looks like a good source of information and ideas for parents looking to balance work and family under one roof. The article also mentioned a book that could be a good resource for SAHMs looking to start an at home business: How to Raise a Family and a Career Under One Roof: A Parent's Guide to Home Business.

Any thoughts on how to stay professional while working at home?