Anonymous wrote:Don't answer the door while you're working.

Anonymous wrote:
Well then that becomes weirder because often people can see or hear that you’re home, and you’ll then have to explain later why you were ignoring them. And they don’t fully get it, especially if they’re elderly

Is this OP?
This response was to the OPs scenario and question. OP asked about how to help friends dropping by understand. She didn’t mention elderly, confused people. .

Anonymous wrote:‘Oh are you home? I’ll stop by for a coffee!’

I’m not against a little break, and wouldn’t mind meeting for a coffee, but often these friends just think they can pop by whenever because I’m ‘around’.

How do I educate them about WFH without snapping at them?

It’s probably ok to take a coffee break , OP

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Sorry, I’m in meetings all day!” Not hard.

+1 when people ask me to pick up
Kids, wait to meet repair people, walk their dogs, etc., I just say I’m in back to back calls until whatever time. A lot of the time it’s true. I’m not sure what they think I do all day.

Agree to the request and then schedule a text to go out 3 minutes before or after the event to say "work emergency came up! Sorry I missed it!"

Only have to do it once They'll learn.

This is only a problem for procrastinators who are excited for the opportunity to blame someone else for why they "had to" stop working and go play, after starting work 3 hours late.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get off DCUM during work hours

Nah, my body my choice

not while working, it's not

Just get the work done competently and efficiently.

Anonymous wrote:‘Oh are you home? I’ll stop by for a coffee!’

I’m not against a little break, and wouldn’t mind meeting for a coffee, but often these friends just think they can pop by whenever because I’m ‘around’.

How do I educate them about WFH without snapping at them?

You say you would love to meet for coffee but can’t just do it on the fly because you are at work. Then suggest a day and time to meet that fits with your work schedule, be that a 9-5 schedule (so 8am coffee?) or a more flexible one (so 10:30 on Thursday?). See if that works for them.

Really not difficult.

Sounds like you need boundaries, OP.

If a salesperson stops by, I never answer the door. It's not in my agenda to answer the door just because their boss said they have to knock on doors in my neighborhood.

Anonymous wrote:“Sorry, I’m in meetings all day!” Not hard.

+1 when people ask me to pick up
Kids, wait to meet repair people, walk their dogs, etc., I just say I’m in back to back calls until whatever time. A lot of the time it’s true. I’m not sure what they think I do all day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get off DCUM during work hours

Nah, my body my choice

not while working, it's not

I used to get this—people would see me arriving home with the kids at 4, and think I was free, when really that was just a break and I needed to do 1-2 more hours of work. But I have never had to tell someone more than once that I work full time and am not done until 5:30 or so.

This literally never happened to me during the five years I worked from home full time.

I have a little of this with friends who work for themselves. I work on the billable hour with the expectations I am available for my client(s) during their working hours of 8 to 6. I can probably hop out for a 30 min coffee but I can't just end my day at 3pm.
I think because I'm home it gives an illusion of flexibility but that's not really the case like with people running their own businesses.

I work from home, and have never had this problem - but my friends all work too. Recently one met a client near my home and asked if I could do lunch or a walk when she was in my area, but there’s no assumption I’m free during the day. My 8 year old has a relatively new friend. The mom wrote at about 3 recently “want to meet in the park with the girls? It’s beautiful out” and I said “we’re free to meet up at 5:30” and she said “I’m happy to come pick Larla up sooner if that would work…Susie is a bit bored and lonely and really wants to play!” I then met up with them all when I finished work

Anonymous wrote:“Sorry, I’m in meetings all day!” Not hard.

+1 sometimes I'll take a break and go for a walk outside, and some of my neighbors who are retired want to chitchat when they see me. I have to tell them that I gotta go because I have a meeting I need to prep for. Most of the time, it's true. The other times, I just got stuff to do at work.

“Oh, I’m actually slammed during the workday. You wanna meet up for a drink at 5:30?” Or whatever social counteroffer makes sense for your life.

This is not hard.