Overcoming Three
Challenges When Working
From Home
Whether you're a
telecommuter, work on
contract, or own your
own business, more and
more of us are working
from a place
traditionally seen as a
retreat from work and
reserved for family, our
home!
Personally, I wouldn't
have it any other way.
I've been working out of
my house for almost two
years and I have to say
that I'd have trouble
adjusting to a regular
'be in the office at 8,
half hour lunch, leave
at 5' routine, all the
while being chained to
my desk.
That's not to say that
working from home is
without challenges of
its own, far from it.
But those challenges are
definitely outweighed by
the benefits.
Challenge #1 - buy THE
most comfortable chair
you can afford.
Before you buy anything
else, buy a chair. You
may have your eye on a
gorgeous cherry wood
desk and an antique lamp
that's to die for, but
stop yourself from
buying it. If you don't
have enough left in the
budget to ensure that
you'll be comfortably
seated you will regret
it, and so will your
back, your butt, and
your shoulders.
In fact, an
uncomfortable chair will
not only leave you with
physical aches and
pains, it'll distract
you from the very thing
you're trying to
accomplish, your work.
Challenge #2 - Dedicate
one room for an office.
If you have the luxury
of space where you're
living such as a spare
bedroom, do set up your
home office in a
separate room,
particularly if you have
small children.
If all the bedrooms are
occupied, consider
transforming a corner of
the basement into an
office. You may need to
spend a bit of money, or
call in some friends to
give you a hand, but the
end result will be well
worth it.
Hand in hand with the
room is a door. Sounds
rather basic, but we all
need time 'away' from
the office. When that
office is in your home,
the only way you're
going to really be away
is if you can close the
door. This way you won't
see the piles of
paperwork on your desk
every time you walk by.
Setup your workspace so
that everything you need
on a daily basis is
easily accessible, just
as you would in a
traditional office
setting. Keep the
location of electrical
outlets in mind when
setting up your space.
You don't want to be
tripping over computer
cables or extension
cords.
Challenge #3 - Work time
vs. play time
This one is a bit
trickier. Working from
home affords
flexibility, which is
why it's so popular with
many people. However, it
is easy to let your
working hours creep over
into your private time.
Make sure you discuss
your expectations with
your partner so that
working from home
doesn't become a source
of stress in your
relationship.
This article was written
by a Shawn Wilson, a
member of the customer
support team at Datepad,
where internet dating is
always free. http://www.datepad.com,
a free internet dating
site.
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