successful home working
Beating isolation
Ways of overcoming work from home isolation
Why is an inferiority complex so often a home worker’s default setting?
242 weeks ago
by Judy
in Beating isolation
I’ve spoken to many home workers and freelancers over the last few years and one of the common themes that comes up time and time again is the speed at which the human brain spirals down into self-doubt and lack of confidence when left too long to its own devices. And solitary time is usually a big chunk of a home worker’s week, even if they are careful to plan for meetings and coworking.
‘Too long’ can mean a few hours of struggling with a piece of work, an hour of guilty procrastination, or a minute or two spent reading about other people’s achievements. From the dining table room table or spare bedroom it can quickly start to appear that other people ‘out there’ are cleverer, better connected, lavishly funded and possessed of a dauntingly impressive client list.
Our own horizons and ambitions shrink proportionately – how can we, with our family commitments and our small local clients, possibly compete? By squeezing that time alone to the absolute minimum, I’d say from my own experience.
This time last year I was co-organising The BIG Jelly with Jan Minihane and Fay Easton. It took far more time and energy than any of us anticipated and we experienced setbacks throughout the six months of planning, in fact right up to the day itself. There were many occasions when I wanted to cancel, but regular contact with Jan and Fay kept my spirits up and fortunately there was never a time when all three of us were down at the same time! The event was a huge success and I think all of us were thrilled and amazed by what we’d managed to achieve.
So I believe the best way to achieve your potential when you work from home is to stay connected, whether it’s through coworking, Jelly, networking or forming partnerships with other small businesses. Yes, it means drawing on skills we don’t have to use if we pursue the solitary life, but it also means the opportunity to learn both from other people and what we’re really capable of.
PS As usual this post is written because I need to hear it 
If you can work anywhere, how do you ever switch off?
84 months ago
Technology enables us to work remotely in all sorts of places that not long ago would never have been considered suitable – bedrooms, hotels, airport lounges and so on. This has given many people the freedom to ditch the commute and live in a location of their own choosing, but it also brings its own challenges. Chief among those is the danger of being constantly “at work” when there is no clear delineation between on and off time.
Many of us who are home or mobile workers are doing something we are passionate about. We have given up jobs that failed to fire us up in order to freelance or set up a small business that uses a talent. In my own experience, I don’t feel I’m “working” in the same sense I was when I was employed; I am simply expressing myself in a way that feels natural, so working at what would traditionally be considered odd hours is not particularly a problem.
Despite this, after a while I started to feel that I could be more creative and productive if I chose my work hours more carefully and actively planned to get out of the house. I found that meeting people, and not necessarily people connected with my business, gave me a boost that never happened at my desk. I therefore pop out to meet a friend for coffee these days at whatever time suits us both.
I’ve come to believe that successful home working means creating your own schedules, regardless of the conventional 9 to 5. The most creative home and mobile workers learn to switch on and off at any time in order to meet deadlines and – more importantly – give their brains a break and fuel their imaginations.
This ability only seems to come with experience. Most new home workers stick to their old office patterns for a while before becoming more aware of their freedom. I’m interested in this way that work is developing and how the boundary between so-called work and leisure is blurring.
How do you mix up your time? Does it feel different from what you have done before?
This post was first published on www.workshifting.com, the site for people who work out of coffee shops, hotels, airports and their homes every bit as much as the office.
How to shift from solo working to coworking
564 months ago
Coworking spaces are popping up all over the place these days, in rural areas as well as town and city centres. If you’re used to working at home alone, like me, you might wonder how on earth you could possibly work surrounded by people you don’t know and who have no connection with your business.
Don’t let doubts like these put you off, as coworking can both brighten up your usual routine and give you a supportive network – without requiring you to go to any events!
Here are some tips to help you acclimatize to coworking:
Check out the space – If you’re lucky enough to have a choice of coworking spaces, check out each one (they often offer a free trial) for factors such as facilities, atmosphere, noise and levels of interaction. Choose the one most suited to your business requirements, personality and whether you simply want another place to work or to become part of a community.
Introduce yourself straightaway – As it can be awkward to do so later when you’ve been working alongside people for a while. Take in some snacks to hand round if you’re a bit shy about doing this and not only will you get to meet everybody but you’ll be guaranteed instant popularity.
Take headphones – If you prefer working in silence you might be distracted at first by people moving around the space and talking on the phone or face to face. Bring in headphones so you can play your own music or one of the white noise apps; do try not to hum along!
Start with easy tasks – If you’re worried about being distracted, at first just take along some routine work that doesn’t require massive concentration. It’s the ideal time to do that computer housekeeping you’ve been meaning to get round to, or research to keep up with your industry. You will adapt to being surrounded by activity and gradually be able to introduce jobs needing more application.
Learn the phone policy – Make sure you know the policy on dealing with phone calls and follow it. That may mean leaving the room to take a call or simply keeping your voice down. It shows consideration if you put your phone on the Meeting setting so that your colleagues don’t have to listen repeatedly to your ring tone.
Chat a bit – Don’t feel guilty about spending time chatting and view it instead as relationship building. You’ll be amazed how much information and advice emerges from these casual exchanges and they can give you enough inspiration to last the rest of the week. And you never know who might be a potential partner – one of your coworkers might be actively looking for just your skills.
The great thing about coworking is that you can choose how much or how little you want to participate, and slot it into your routine where it fits best. Good luck in finding your own perfect balance for maximum happiness and efficiency, and I’d love to hear your own tips for acclimatising.
This post was first published on www.workshifting.com, the site for people who work out of coffee shops, hotels, airports and their homes every bit as much as the office
Working from home and cake – perfect partners
75 months ago
So I’ve already told you about the unqualified success of last week’s How to Work from Home – The Inside Guide, which was a Marketing Masterclass with the irrepressible James Layfield. But naughtily I haven’t written about the previous month’s group. (Could it be any coincidence that the subject was procrastination?)
Our special guest was Clare Flynn Levy, a hedge fund manager until having her first baby converted her to the delights of flexible working. Clare is now the MD of Flexpaths, providing software to help organisations manage flexible working, and the founder of the Equilibrant Network for senior executives interested in flexible work. She was the perfect guest, and informed and entertained us equally with her experiences of combining work and home life.
It was interesting to see how, although we all share the challenges of procrastination while working mainly from home, people vary enormously in their response to it and how they overcome it. One of my principle beliefs about working at home successfully is that each individual has to find the best way for themselves, and so reading prescriptive articles (that you must have a separate home office, for example) is not necessarily helpful.
The great thing about these monthly groups is the opportunity to hear about different ways of doing things, while feeling encouraged by realising that the challenges – which we often feel are ours alone – are in fact shared.
One of the attendees, Claire Melvin of Claire’s Cakes, brought along some cute mini cupcakes for us, some with my house logo in green icing, which was a lovely thought. And I didn’t notice anybody procrastinating about eating one!
I’ve subsequently seen a photo of Eva Takacs’ newly cluttercleared workspace and will post it soon on the Home Office page. Eva, the founder of The Vent Service, was bemoaning the untidy state of her sofa, where she works with her laptop, at the first two groups, but now she has transformed it. Not only is the group an inspiring night out, but it gets good results too!
Eating frogs and Darwinian walking at How to Work from Home
127 months ago
Those were just two of the tips shared by the home workers who came along to my first meet-up at Central last week! In the relaxing surroundings of the downstairs room, a home from home with its colourful cushions and rugs, there was much laughter and relief at how many challenges and thoughts we all share, as we discussed some of the pitfalls of working from home and ways that people have devised to get round them.
Catherine Raynor explained how she had turned around her thinking on home working from the belief she had no room in her flat to putting a glass desk in her bedroom. Francesca recommended Eat That Frog!
Fay told us how much more productive she is on the days she does a two-mile morning walk, inspired by Darwin’s belief that our brains work best when we’re walking. Kish agreed that missing her meditation in an attempt to save time was actually counter-productive.
Christina said that having fallen into the trap of wearing sweatpants too often she’s now aware how important it is to look and feel business-like. Many of us had stories of feeling guilty when we’re not working at our desks in the conventional 9-5 routine, and wondering why that should be when we can work at night if we want.
Like Jose, we resolved to enjoy using our time the way it suits us and to shake off those guilty pangs. Eva, Cassandra and her mum Anne are going to check out Jelly, and Richard resolved to open a Twitter account.
So plenty of inspiration flying around in just two hours, and I’m looking forward to hearing how we’ve all got on at the next home working evening meet-up on Thursday 21 July. As Cherry says ‘It is a great way of feeling encouraged just by hearing that others have similar challenges as your own.’ Hope to see you there – I’ll let you know when booking opens.
Social media – vital for working from home, but…
117 months ago
Social media has only been around a few years and yet I can’t remember what home working life was like without it. Which doesn’t mean I’m enamoured of it all. Do you have a favourite social media site? Mine is Twitter, because as a confirmed minimalist I love its brevity, I started off by attending a day course and so understand everything I need to, and mostly because I feel in control – I know exactly what will happen when I press Send!
Facebook, on the other hand, feels to me like a sprawling mass of ever-expanding stuff, most of it of no interest whatsoever. I’ve had no instruction in using it and haven’t really grasped who sees what and which bits of information go where. I rarely look at my Profile wall – I just don’t have time and can do without another opportunity to procrastinate. Please excuse me if you’ve contacted me and had no response – I’m not ignoring you, it’s just that I probably haven’t even found what you’ve sent, don’t know how to respond or have done it wrong. Every time I start to feel I should get some help, something happens like the recent uproar about tagging photos, and I think rude thoughts about the sheer arrogance of the youths manipulating us and resolve to have as little to do with it as possible.
I should get more training on Linkedin as well. From the comments I’ve heard it seems many of us do little with it apart from occasionally sending off a flurry of invitations to connect and guiltily posting an overdue contribution to a group. I am happy to connect with you if we have connected on or offline. It seems rather pointless to connect with somebody who is a total stranger and my least favourite communications come from people sending the standard connect message who claim to be my friend, when I’ve never heard of them. At least tell me why you want to connect.
As for Youtube, my resolve earlier in the year to film regular vlogs has been hit by the persistent humming of the microphone, a problem that was supposed to be have been resolved. I can’t spare the laptop going off into Apple hospital again, and so vlogs have slipped down the list.
So for now my major efforts are reserved for Twitter, which has been a rich source of fascinating people and information. But I’m open to persuasion and no doubt I’m missing all kinds of tricks – how can I get the best out of social media?
