When you want to get out of the home office more

At the start of the year many of us make resolutions to get out and meet more people – easy to say, and easy to book for some events, but then the doubts might start kicking in.

Experience of wearing myself out right up to the last minute with the ‘shall I go, shall I cancel?’ question – and then enjoying myself each and every time – has taught me to put all doubts firmly to the back of my mind and regard the date as immoveable. As the ad says, ‘Just do it’.

You’ll make it easier for yourself if you go with a friend or arrange to meet someone there, but then you need to be ultra-disciplined and split up soon after arrival, or you’ll waste the opportunity to meet new people. I’ve included lots of tips to make networking easier on yourself in my book Work from Home, and I’ve recently come across another excellent resource. It’s about dealing with introversion (and I’ve talked before about how introvert home workers used to their own company can cope with crowded business and training events) but will be invaluable to anybody nervous about making new connections.

It’s a podcast with Joanna Penn and Clare Edwards. Joanna writes the well-known blog The Creative Penn so her primary audience is writers, but the advice is universal.

Moving on from those of us who enjoy the solitude of our home offices, what about extroverts who find that situation difficult to handle? Fiona Wilson of Emmersons information management consultancy wants to know how you cope when coworking isn’t an option. All advice appreciated!