When I tell someone that I work from home, I usually get all kinds of questions. First, they want to know - "How do you stay on task?" Then they want to know - "How do you keep your work and home separate when they are under the same roof?" Some even ask - "Do you get bored or lonely with only connecting to people virtually?"
All of these questions are quite understandable when you take into account a majority of the workforce actually goes into an office, a plant, or some place of business to do their work. By being in this type of environment you usually have colleagues and/or a boss that is keeping tabs on what you are doing. So you put your time in and at the end of the day return back home - for the most part leaving your work behind.
When working from home you only need to walk down the hall or perhaps down or up the stairs to get to your office. More than likely there are no colleagues or bosses there with you. So essentially no one is keeping tabs on what you are doing throughout the day. So how does one stay motivated to do the work that needs to get done?
Luckily for me it is quite easy. I am extremely driven to complete tasks and/or projects. Also luckily for me (although sometimes I don't feel so lucky), the type of work I do is pretty much dominated by deadlines. And I am even more driven by task or projects with tight deadlines. I have yet to get a project where the client has said that I had all the time I needed to finish the course. Sometimes the deadlines are more reasonable but most of the time the courses were needed yesterday and I am working in a feverish frenzy trying to get them to the client as fast as humanely possible. Nothing like super tight deadlines to keep you motivated and working throughout the day even though there is laundry that could be done or dishes in the sink.
So the second question is one that I have a bit more of a challenge with - "How do you keep your work and home separate when they are under the same roof?"
Being that I am driven by deadlines and tasks, I find it very hard to shut off at the end of the day. Being that my office is right there down the hall, it is a challenge not to keep working throughout the evening and into the wee hours of the morning. However, with the exception of a few urgent deadlines that have needed to be met, I have been able to do a reasonable job of "leaving" my work in the evening and not returning to it again until the morning. It helps to have a husband to remind you every now and then as well. ;)
Lastly, the question about being bored or lonely is interesting. Yes, you don't have the face to face connection with people that you would in an office. However, I do connect with my teammates on projects quite regularly through email, chat or phone. I absolutely love all the people with whom I work. Even though my connection with them is completely virtual - I feel like I know them quite well and that we have a wonderful working relationship. With that said - I do have an urge to get out of the house in the evenings a lot more and organize social times through different groups of which I am a part.
There are a few guidelines I try to follow to make my working from home more enjoyable as well as productive.
If you have been thinking about making the transition to working from home, I would suggest starting slow and trying it out a couple of days each week. That way you can ease into it and see if a home office environment would work for you. In my previous position I worked from home 3 days a week and went into the office the other two days. This helped me ease into the home office environment and made me realize how much I really enjoyed working from home. Working from home isn't for everyone, but if you are able to motivate yourself and remain disciplined with your schedule, it sure does beat driving into an office or place of business every day (especially during our Michigan winters.)
All of these questions are quite understandable when you take into account a majority of the workforce actually goes into an office, a plant, or some place of business to do their work. By being in this type of environment you usually have colleagues and/or a boss that is keeping tabs on what you are doing. So you put your time in and at the end of the day return back home - for the most part leaving your work behind.
When working from home you only need to walk down the hall or perhaps down or up the stairs to get to your office. More than likely there are no colleagues or bosses there with you. So essentially no one is keeping tabs on what you are doing throughout the day. So how does one stay motivated to do the work that needs to get done?
Luckily for me it is quite easy. I am extremely driven to complete tasks and/or projects. Also luckily for me (although sometimes I don't feel so lucky), the type of work I do is pretty much dominated by deadlines. And I am even more driven by task or projects with tight deadlines. I have yet to get a project where the client has said that I had all the time I needed to finish the course. Sometimes the deadlines are more reasonable but most of the time the courses were needed yesterday and I am working in a feverish frenzy trying to get them to the client as fast as humanely possible. Nothing like super tight deadlines to keep you motivated and working throughout the day even though there is laundry that could be done or dishes in the sink.
So the second question is one that I have a bit more of a challenge with - "How do you keep your work and home separate when they are under the same roof?"
Being that I am driven by deadlines and tasks, I find it very hard to shut off at the end of the day. Being that my office is right there down the hall, it is a challenge not to keep working throughout the evening and into the wee hours of the morning. However, with the exception of a few urgent deadlines that have needed to be met, I have been able to do a reasonable job of "leaving" my work in the evening and not returning to it again until the morning. It helps to have a husband to remind you every now and then as well. ;)
Lastly, the question about being bored or lonely is interesting. Yes, you don't have the face to face connection with people that you would in an office. However, I do connect with my teammates on projects quite regularly through email, chat or phone. I absolutely love all the people with whom I work. Even though my connection with them is completely virtual - I feel like I know them quite well and that we have a wonderful working relationship. With that said - I do have an urge to get out of the house in the evenings a lot more and organize social times through different groups of which I am a part.
There are a few guidelines I try to follow to make my working from home more enjoyable as well as productive.
- I have an official office that is used strictly for my work. In doing this, I can shut the door to the office and not be so drawn to go back to do a few more hours of work here and there in the evening. The boundary, although a bit more artificial, creates a similar environment to leaving the office at a place of work. Oh and don't forget the tax deduction aspect.
- Create a set schedule and try to stick to it. For me - that is the typical 8am-5pm although some days may be a bit longer and others a bit shorter. I also try very hard to not work on the weekends. It helps to have a separate work email from your personal one so that you don't see requests coming in during your off hours or on weekends.
- Get out of the house in the evenings and plan social times to get the face to face connection that usually is lacking when working from home. Start your own Meetup group around a hobby or perhaps as part of your profession. The later will not only give you social time, it will also provide you with networking opportunities.
If you have been thinking about making the transition to working from home, I would suggest starting slow and trying it out a couple of days each week. That way you can ease into it and see if a home office environment would work for you. In my previous position I worked from home 3 days a week and went into the office the other two days. This helped me ease into the home office environment and made me realize how much I really enjoyed working from home. Working from home isn't for everyone, but if you are able to motivate yourself and remain disciplined with your schedule, it sure does beat driving into an office or place of business every day (especially during our Michigan winters.)
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