The main benefit of working at home is being able to have your home lifestyle while you work. The issue that often arises is in question to the door to your workspace. Certainly you should have a door on your office, however, should your home workspace be closed at all times while you are working?

If you want to work in a professional environment, you should consider renting a space to work outside of the house. But, if you are set on working at home and maintaining that home environment (with the door open) take a look at the following tips on managing kids in your home office.

#1 Keep their hands busy – Assuming you aren’t writing a book or require absolute silence in order to stay productive, consider keeping a toybox in the corner of your workroom. This will keep those little hands from grabbing coffee cups, keyboards, and power cords.

#2 Put them to “work” – Chances are good that you’ve got an old computer laying around and Junior would love to help you write up that report. So pass on that old slow computer and put them to work with a program like BabyType for one-year-olds, an education program for the kids, or even an internet connection for the older kids.

#3 Work around their schedule – Working at home means you don’t have to conform to the typical work hours. So use it to your advantage and do your intense work time during the midday nap or after bed time. Working during the “off hours” is much easier than working through a screaming tantrum.

#4 Use the internet’s resources – There are tons of resources to use online for kids. If they enjoy using a computer then try looking for things to help encourage their learning while they play. For example, KidRocket is a web browser for kids. Or you can set them up with a YouTube video or even search for coloring books you can print out.

#5 Establish rules – If you’ve tried distracting them with ideas like these, it’s time to step up and be the parent. Set aside times for work that mom (or dad) should not be disturbed. Go ahead and close the door, but make sure that they know it’s only for a limited time. Go find them after you’ve completed your project. It will be a reward for both of you!