Working from Home Together Without Being Available All Day
https://www.connectedcouples.app/blog/couples-working-from-home-together

Original Connected planning aid. Adapt these examples together. This is not a scored or validated assessment.

Working from home, together

An interruption agreement

FOCUS: Use a visible focus signal. Agree what the signal means and when contact can resume.

AVAILABLE: Choose interruption-friendly windows. Invite routine questions, chores, or a quick hello.

URGENT: Define a true interruption. Name what cannot wait. Reconnect after the interruption.

Fill in your own signals and times. Revisit when schedules change.

Quiet-room booking
Example: Sam 9–10:30; Jo 11–12
Our draft: __________________________

Visible focus signal
Example: Headphones on means wait
Our draft: __________________________

Next available window
Example: Kitchen at 12:15
Our draft: __________________________

An interruption that cannot wait
Example: A water leak; a parcel can wait
Our draft: __________________________

End-of-work transition
Example: Close laptops, clear the table, then a short walk
Our draft: __________________________


| Part of the day | What to agree | Example wording |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Workspace | Who needs which space and when | The room with a door is reserved for booked confidential calls |
| Focus | Signal and end point | My desk note means hold nonurgent questions until lunch |
| Availability | How to check before talking | Ask whether I have a minute before starting the story |
| Urgency | What justifies an interruption | Safety, an agreed care need or a time-sensitive delivery we both knew about |
| Shared work | Who owns daytime household tasks | Each person handles the tasks they accepted, including follow-through |
| Workday finish | How to signal the transition | Say whether work is finished or when the next update will be |

Our next step: ______________________________
Who has agreed to do it: ____________________
We will revisit this on: ____________________