I need to isolate myself to be able to do deep work. It makes me seem less social and also a bit disconnected from family at times during evenings and weekends. It is hard on them, and I feel torn between work and family demands. How do you negotiate with your family to come to an understanding that you need to do this?

Cameron G.
I would fall back on basic human condition. Being honest about the stress you feel can help clear up any possibility of your family thinking that you PREFER work to spending time with them. Dedicate specific time blocks to work, that you stick too; and when that time is up, completely disconnect and focus on family. Consider it another part of work that requires isolating yourself from distractions.
Araci Z.
I only log in to work from home at times I’ve agreed with my wife already. This way expectations are set and agreed upon before hand so there are no nasty surprises or disappointments.

Thy said I only login when my wife is putting our two young children to sleep, and then only Monday thru Thursday evenings.

My wife will come back through and chat for bit after and it’s nice break for me. And then back to work.

Because it’s monday to thursday only it’s acceptable to her. And the kids are asleep.

And indeed I’m only doing this because I’ve started a new role that is demanding a lot of work upfront.

Otherwise frankly I’d be looking for another job.

Family is massively important. And sometimes the job has to fit around them more than they have to fit around the job.

If you have the luxury of being able find other work that is 🙂

Sophia C.
La familia siempre se va a poner feliz si tú te encuentras feliz haciendo lo que te gusta. Contágiales esa buena energía, involúcralos en tus proyectos tan solo contándoles, compartiéndoles los buenos resultados. Si te “aíslas” por completo corres el riesgo de; si, avanzar en tu proyecto pero perderte momentos de familia que nunca volverán. Piénsalo, hay cosas de familia que no son negociables. Tu decides que es más importante, tu puedes darte tiempo para ese equilibrio familia trabajo 💕 Un gran abrazo.
William F.
Set a specific time each day to do it whether it be an hour or 2 tell your family you need that time to yourself so you can better yourself to be there for them I had to do that I was about to go crazy because I wasn't taken time for myself and I am getting better each day I still have a lot of work to do but I'm doing it a little each day one day at a time
Cherly U.
If you were to go working in an office then you‘d be disconnected as well, right? Make it clear that you love them but you have to make a living for the whole family and you only can do that if you concentrate, undisturbedly.
Tristan U.
Set a definite time for deep work and do it with consistency. This will enable your family to understand that you spend a specific period in your day where distractions are not allowed.
Pablo Y.
One thing to consider is that in these moments, you are retraining not just yourself, but other people to treat your time differently. Give others some grace to get used to the change. For family, it may be helpful to do something fun together to celebrate the end of your deep work session. Soon enough they'll look forward to your deep work too!
Marcus P.
Negotiation possible, if we could show the real change we bringing progress in what we doing.

When we could Spare time to to our work uninterreptedly. We will have quality unintereped time to spend with family too.

Lima Y.
It's easy to fall into work because it never ends. If you are working for a better life for your family, then start with a good family life now. Dedicate "deep family time" and schedule it out ahead of time. Pick one day a week and make it family day where you may check emails but only reply if it's life or death. If people can't respect you off hours, then they aren't good bosses/clients. On another note, if you are working that much perhaps it's time to outsource or delegate.
Marion B.
This is a tough one. Really tough. But I have found that when you spend time with your family they deserve 100% of your attention. So set aside your work time and keep it limited to that. Then give your family the best of you – they deserve that.
Edwin J.
That's a tough question my children are all grown so it's not a problem for me talking to them will help explain why you need to do this
Theodore Y.
Dedicated time isn’t just for work, it’s also for family. Spend quality time with your family and the quantity won’t be as big an issue – unless you have little ones that you need to tend.
Zo S.
I just do it, I don’t need to discuss it with no one as I have no friends in the city I’ve moved to. And I live with my mum & sister she’s a teenager so she doesn’t like being around us anyway, and my mum normally isolates herself to do her prayers and bible studying.