I work from home. This summer, with people moving in and out of the house and a seven-year-old hanging out with me some days, the line between “working” and “available” became almost impossible for anyone outside my office to see.
Sometimes I was in a meeting. Sometimes I was recording. Sometimes I was focused but could still be interrupted if something mattered. Other times the calendar looked completely open while I was already on an unscheduled call.
The people around me were not doing anything wrong. They simply did not have the information they needed. The only way to find out whether it was a good time was to knock, text, peek through the door, or take a chance.
“How can I protect focused work without missing the little moments happening just outside my office?”
The obvious answers were not quite right
A manually changed status only works if I remember to change it. A calendar-only display assumes the calendar tells the entire truth. A camera, microphone, or activity tracker would create a much larger privacy problem than the interruption problem it was supposed to solve.
I did not want to show anyone my meeting titles, caller information, messages, precise location, or the details of my day. My family and coworkers did not need those details. They needed one answer: is now a good time?
So I built Presence
Presence combines limited signals I approve—calendar availability, supported live meetings, calls, recording or streaming activity, focus time, work hours, and manual overrides—and turns them into a simple status.
That answer can appear on a tablet outside an office, a private family link, a team Reception View, an Alexa routine, a light, or another connected display. The details behind the answer remain private.
It became bigger than my door
Once the first version worked, other uses became obvious. A receptionist deciding whether to transfer a call. A spouse wondering whether it is okay to step into a home office. A small team trying to avoid another “Are you free?” message. A church, nonprofit, school, or studio where people move between meetings, calls, focused work, and shared spaces.
Presence is not employee surveillance, attendance tracking, or a productivity score. It is a respectful communication tool. Everyone controls what they connect, what they share, and whether they appear in a team view.
Seven days became a real beta
The first week moved faster than I expected. Beta testers found bugs, requested features, connected different calendars, tried old tablets, tested Digital Knock, and helped turn a personal solution into something a small team could actually use.
It is still early. There will be things that need work. But every time Presence quietly changes at the right moment—or someone sees the display and decides to wait instead of interrupting—I know the original idea was worth exploring.
Even if I never make a dime from this, I hope it helps other people as much as it has helped me.