"A lot has happened for me in the last year."
I always hate when bloggers write this. It's just some crappy excuse for not writing. Truthfully, I have no excuse. I'm on the computer every day for work--although as of late, I haven't had much time to browse the web at work. I've made time for other hobbies, so I decided I needed to make time for blogging again.
So, what made me want to start this blog last year anyway?
I was tired of being a 20-something working in a corporate environment, making stuff up as I went along. I hoped to help people with my blog and sadly, I don't think I achieved that. I got discouraged with the number of followers and how I didn't have enough. Sounds like life huh? We find a passion and then it's not perceived as something that's worth doing, so we give up. Lesson learned.
Recently my job has changed hours. It's been somewhat of a nightmare and somewhat of a blessing. Our hours are 6 AM to 3 AM -- basically we only close for 3 hours a day. The downside is that when I work the 6 AM shift, I have to be up by 4 to make it in time. The good part about it is when we work the late shift, we're able to work from home. I wanted to write today's post about tips for those that telecommute.
Tips for the Telecommuter or those that work from home
1. Turn a room or even a free corner into a home office. Since I live in a one bedroom apartment, I don't have the luxury of a free room, however I'm working on turning a part of the dining room into a nice work nook. That way, I have a space that I can have my computer, mouse, keyboard, etc set up in a quiet place.
-DON'T: Use working at home as an excuse to lay in bed. This is still your job and you need to remain productive. I don't know about you but if I lay in bed, I get sleepy. You want to remain alert and focused. Do it in a space that doesn't scream NAP TIME.
2. If you have kids, they should still go to day care or have someone come over to help you with them. When I worked at an insurance company a few years ago, they were converting to a work at home business. The only stipulation was that you needed to behave as you were in the office. That meant, your kids needed to stay at daycare. The 8 hours while you're working, your primary focus should be on the job. If your kids are older or are pretty dependent, you may be able to get away with keeping them at home. If you have a toddler or a baby that require a lot of attention, you may find you're not getting a lot of work done.
-DON'T: Make the job second fiddle. During work hours, you are an employee first.
3. Get dressed every day. I learned this one after two weeks of working from home and wearing the same pair of sweatpants and stained tee shirt. Sure, there may be the days where you don't feel like getting ready and that's absolutely a benefit of working from home. BUT to maintain some sort of normalcy and to act like you're still a part of society, change your clothes and shower once in awhile. Your spouse can thank me in advance for this one.
-DON'T: Become a shut in! Working from home is a great privilege, but you are still a person with family and friends. They still want to see your beautiful face once in awhile.
4. If you don't have a hobby or work out, consider taking it up. Being on the computer 8-10 hours a day for work, then shifting over the couch to watch TV for the rest of the night can get really depressing pretty fast. Consider finding something to get your body and mind active.
-DON'T: Become a couch potato. Just because you work from home doesn't mean you can't get outside and experience the fresh air once in awhile.
5. Work, work, work, work, work. My job is great because I do have some of the down-time where I can hurry up and vacuum or load the dishwasher-- luxuries that I wouldn't have if I was stuck in the office. Maybe some of you will have that freedom or maybe every minute of your time will be monitored. Either way, make work your primary focus. It's easy to get distracted when you're at home by the telephone or the TV. Don't take advantage of working from home.
-DON'T: Make work your last priority. Work IS the priority. If you get a chance to cook or get other things done while WFH, that is a benefit.
Does anyone else out there work from home? If so, what are your tips for new telecommuters like myself or what would you like to add to the list?
Thanks for bringing it back with me! I can't wait to add more in the next few weeks.
