There might be ‘no place like home’ but when it comes to working where you sleep, I beg to differ.
Three months into my freelance/working from home/I’m a consultant now work life and the ‘cool stuff’ that attracts people to working from home in first place is starting to lose its shine. Well, not lose it’s shine but perhaps the reality is setting in a little bit.
How’s that, you ask? Let me elaborate.
A beginner’s guide to working from home, by Sarah Kempson
1. Get dressed everyday
Seriously, this one is BASIC. And don’t just get out of bed and throw on whatever appears to be dry/clean on the floor from two weeks ago. Take pride in your appearance! Do your hair! Put on makeup! You never know who lives around the corner and might need to borrow a cup of sugar. Personal Note: I discovered Guy Pearce lives in the neighbourhood. Point made.
2. The fridge is off limits except for the time between 1pm to 1.05pm
While working at home means you will save on the costs of eating out at lunch everyday, it is not acceptable to snack throughout the day on foods reserved for particular meals. Ie. Ice cream should only be consumed post dinner. Cereal should only be consumed at breakfast (even if at 2pm it seems immensely appealing). Stick to a ‘proper’ diet and your productivity will be rewarded. Probably.
3. Household chores are not an acceptable way to procrastinate
But they beat Oprah and Ready Steady Cook any day. I’ll just wash those dishes… I’ll just hang out that washing… Before you know it, its 4pm and you haven’t done any work – a long night of copywriting lies ahead of you. But at least the house is clean. Right?
4. Call someone everyday
Being alone (ie. in my head) for eight hours a day is sending me CRAZY. I am a people person – what on earth would I do without Twitter and Facebook? If you are the person designated to entertain me for an hour at lunchtime, listen to me babble and I promise not to call again this year.
5. Meetings should be spread across the week
While loading up a Wednesday with back to back meetings seems like a good idea, it means spending a whole day on the road and four days in your office. A meeting a day keeps the crazies away. Plus you get to try cafes in different suburbs. That probably have free WiFi.
All in all, I do have to say I am LOVING the working from home deal. I love the flexibility, the people I get to meet and the variety of my work.
Now, if you still think working from home is an ace idea, check out this fun cartoon at The Oatmeal.
