After the birth of her daughter three years ago, Ronnette Phillips, director of multicultural sales at Hilton Worldwide, decided to check out of a conventional corporate office and instead set up her office at home. The Dallas-based mom, whose second child, a son, is now age 7 months, took advantage of a work-from-home option offered by her company so she could spend more time with her children. “Your kids are not going to be babies forever," she says. "They’re eventually going to be out of the house. I want to spend as much time with them as I can.”

But don’t expect to find Ronnette lounging around during a typical workday. Her job, which involves managing association accounts, acting as a liason between Hilton hotels and their clients and acting as an advocate for the hotels, is certainly demanding. She wakes at 6:30 a.m. each weekday and immediately checks emails. Then she and her husband tend to their kids and one or the other drops them off at their Montessori day care/preschool. By 8:30, she's back at her desk corresponding with people by email or doing conference calls with hotels or clients like the National Black MBA Association, LULAC, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Society and the Latin American Studies Association. “I've been able to build successful, strategic partnerships with my clients," she says. "I handle a challenging market, and it requires a lot of handholding and constant negotiations to achieve a positive outcome for all parties."

To manage her load, Ronnette created a home workspace that's much like a conventional office. It’s separate from other parts of her home so she can truly concentrate on work, and there are no children roaming around. “I’m not one to have my children at the house while I’m working,” says Ronnette. “But working from home [no commuting to an office] means I don't have to rush to get them to and from child care.” 

While passionate about her job, Ronnette is not immune to feeling overworked. She admits she may actually work more hours from home. She often picks up work again at 8:30 p.m., after her kids are asleep. But she makes sure the time she does spend with her daughter and son really counts: “Once we pick up our kids from child care, it's our time with them—including story time and playtime before bed. I do my best to shut down everything and not be on my phone or laptop when I’m with them.”

Here, Ronnette shares her tips for successfully working at home:  

Maintain work boundaries. “It’s important to have a separate office. I’m so fortunate I have a designated area at home. I treat my home office like I would an office anywhere else. I don’t have the television on. I don’t know what’s going on in the world unless I check the Internet." 

Arrange child care. “I don’t think having my children at home with me while I’m working would be very appropriate, and it would be very distracting. When they're in child care, I can be productive and get my work done through the day.”

Tend to you, too. "Make sure you make appointments for yourself at the end of the day. You know that if something is one your calendar, you have to make it happen." Ronnette likes to do some yoga or take a walk outside to get some fresh air. 

Stay focused. "You are at home but you are working for a company, and your job is to get things done."