People think that working from a home office is a dream job but in reality it’s just as hard, if not harder, than working in a normal environment. I found this 5 Tips On Working Remotely From A Guy Who Works Reaaaally Remotely post and agree with most of it.
What has worked for me?
Face Time
I spent a week at the main office a few months ago and came back refreshed and feeling like one of the team. There weren’t huge meetings or a team building experience. Just a pretty normal work week. Except with people in the same room.
I get used to controlling most disturbances in my home office. I can listen to music or have it completely silent. If my dogs bark, they get a time out in their crates. If I really need to focus, I can sign off iChat and ignore the rest of the world. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen that way in a real office so every little distraction is augmented for me. I feel so out of control – like a kid hyped up on sugar. Nothing gets done so I have to wake up early and work in my hotel room every morning in order to get things accomplished. But being there in person is completely worth it.
Local Coworkers
I try to get together regularly (monthly) with other people who work from home offices. We’ve gone to Panera with our laptops and work remotely there for the day or part of the day. It’s still pretty new but has already proven to be extremely beneficial. I’m not as productive remotely but the social aspect of this arrangement is very refreshing and motivating.
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
This has been a huge issue for me in the past and I know it’s not perfect yet but overly communicating tends to help, at least for me. I try to document everything. I use Google Docs, Google Calendar, Wunderlist and a good old-fashioned notebook. As a team, we use Google+ Hangouts and iChat. Read the rest of this entry →