“life’s a journey, not a destination”
Steve Tyler, Aerosmith
Hi again!
Just a couple of days ago I mentioned how I’m coming up on three years working from home full time. It’s been a wild ride and I love being able to pick up and work whenever and whever I want.
That’s exactly what I want to talk about today.
Is It Lonely Working From Home?
For the first couple of years I spent all my time working on my home computer, which resides in the corner of my living room. Then I got myself a laptop and thought it was awesome that I could work from the couch, from the kitchen or while sitting out on the porch on a sunny day.
That was enough in the beginning.
But now, three years into working from home I realize how very isolating it can be. The only people I was seeing were my parents (who’s apartment I live in), my son and my boyfriend. While I love them all I believe we really need a LOT more human interaction than that.
So this year I did something about it!
Here are my tips and ideas on how to bust through work at home lonliness whlie keeping up productivity:
- Work somewhere else – Yea seems simple enough but sometimes we think it’s harder than it actually is to be mobile with our business. I do a number of services for clients including website updates, affiliate management, email marketing and more and I thought it would be just too hard to organize that all and take it on the go. Well, Roboform and a simple USB drive later my netbook is loaded with days work at the library, the coffee shop or even at a friend’s house.
- Get Networking – I love going to a monthly networking group I belong to for women. It’s not even really to me about making money. I just love getting out and getting to chat with people who can relate to the joys and struggles of being a business owner. If you’re interested in checking the group out it’s called WINGS. Of course I also love getting out to conferences and seminars too like my recent trip to Podcamp Toronto.
- Connect Via Phone – I’ve made some great friends at networking events and conferences and I love to connect with them via phone to catch up and talk business too. It’s a great way to get ideas and share stories with people who really get it. You could also add a phone component to your current business if you want more people to talk to. Schedule conference calls or teleseminars to share your expertise and talk with real live human beings all at the same time! (by the way CLICK HERE if you want to learn how to set up teleseminars for free)
There you have some of my best tips for beating the work at home blues.
Isn’t life a fun journey!
I feel like you’re talking to me in this post, lol. Isolation is the big reality of working from home very few people talk about. I’m in the market for a new laptop, and once I’m mobile again there will be a lot more working at the park while my 3yr old plays, escaping to the library for an uninterrupted two or three hours while hubby watches the kids and more.
Personally, I’m someone who works well alone, but we all need a little human contact now and then. Well said!
.-= Kimberly´s last blog ..Introducing You to Someone You Should Know =-.
Twitter: AngelaWills
says:
I think the best part is we get to change the scenery if we want to. I blogged the other day about some jobs I hated. I had no choice but to be in the same spot, day after day for three years. For a person who loves change, variety and challenge no wonder I was miserable there!
Hope you get mobile soon. Summer is coming and it’s going to be nice to sit out in the sun and work. I missed that last year when my laptop broke and I was waiting for the computer guy to get me a new one (which he never did!).
Anyway thanks for the comment and I’m glad you could relate!
I can really relate to the challenges of being isolated when working from home. It’s isolated enough being at home, but you also have to have guidelines so you don’t set yourself up to work all the time. At least I did. Am still working through these things. On the other hand, on a long weekend, I’m not stuck in traffic and am already at my destination of choice. Or have left town the night before.
Hope you’ll be at WordCamp this weekend, Angela. Will look for your badge.
Twitter: AngelaWills
says:
Hi Julia! Good point. We can let our business completely take over. That’s another reason why I kinda like going to the library and/or coffee shop to work. It give some separation to my home/work life at least for the day that I decide to do it. I get my work done while I”m out and know when I get home it’s free time.
I’ll be there at wordcamp. Will look for you too!
I can relate very well with you Angel. My 2nd year now working at home. The first few months is sheer joy since you have your own work time and nobody tells you when to come in or what time you can go out of work like you do in a traditional office. Sooner or later you begin to feel lonely since the only human interaction you have is people who are online, some you haven’t even met in person. Thanks for your tips on how to get away from this “loneliness.” I’ve already been working in coffeeshops and libraries just like you mentioned. Certainly nice to see people around and interact with them! =D
.-= John´s last blog ..Bästa VPS =-.
Hi, Angela:
It can definitely be quite isolating working from home, and sucks more so when one lives in a tiny town. It’s really important to get out of the house, and mingle with offline peeps. And as another commenter noted above, it’s easy to get sidetracked and work all the time, since work is right there in your home.
The tips you outlined above, are GREAT food for thought. I’m gonna look around for networking opportunities, starting this week.
Cheers,
Missy
p.s. But still, I do love working from home.
.-= Missy´s last blog ..$5 Niche Blog Blow Out, Till The End Of March Only =-.