The Home Office Balancing Act:
Should You Share A Home Office With Your Spouse?

Working together is one thing; Working together in the same home office is another. Consider these questions before you share a home office with your spouse.

• Do you have compatible work styles?
  Your spouse may prefer to keep all of his papers out on the desk, while you like to keep every piece of paper filed. As long as each person a designated desk, there should not be a problem. This could change if your spouse starts piling brochures, sales information and other papers throughout the office. At that point you need to determine who works in what area of the office. For example, the table with the printer and copier could be off limits to your "piling" spouse while you, the "neat" spouse, have to live with stacks in other areas.

• Are your internal clocks synchronized?
  Some people are morning people while others hit their stride in mid-afternoon and are able to work through the night. If you are a morning person, schedule your important tasks to be done before noon. If you are more productive after lunch time, schedule your important tasks accordingly. The only time that this could become a problem is if the "early" spouse goes to bed early and is kept awake by noisy equipment (or a noisy spouse). Be cognizant of your spouse's internal clock and don't expect them to be productive at odd times.

• Does your home office have to be quiet for you to be productive while your spouse has to have background noise to work?
  Our levels of concentration are as different as our work styles. One person may need the home office to be as quiet as a library while the other could work at the sound level of the New York Stock Exchange. During the times when it's crucial to have silence, use another room in your home to work. You could also change your schedule to work when your spouse is not there. If it becomes a major problem, earplugs are always a good option.

Sharing a home office isn't for everyone. After all, what happens in the bedroom does not necessarily dictate what happens in the boardroom...even if both rooms are in the same house.