So, you have your dream job of working from home, no office politics, no annoying co-workers, it’s just you and your computer.
After the initial joy of peace and quiet, or loud rock music if your me, wears off, you realize that you miss the distractions and being able to to stand by the water cooler talking to a coworker. Being at home with no one around, or only your kids, with no adult conversations that aren’t business related can be lonely.
I’m an introvert and talk regularly with clients, but it’s primarily work related, and I’ve had days I’ve wanted to run out of my office and talk to the first person I meet. This isn’t exactly a productive use of your time.
There are however ways to avoid this isolation. First leave your home office, staying cooped up in your office or studio all day is a sure way to get cabin fever.
Instead meet a friend for a nice lunch, and try to avoid business topics. Do some easy work such as answering emails and research, at a coffee shop or some other place you can sit down and watch the world go by, try to strike up a conversation with some of the people there. Get a hobby that makes you leave the house for a few hours and interact with people.
While it’s better to meet people face to face, talking with people online, whether it’s Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs or forums, can help you remember there is a world out there. Especially if you can't get out easily. If you go this route put a half hour to an hour gap in your schedule to talk to people online. This will keep you from wasting time continually checking out Facebook or Twitter when you should be working.
One of the most time effective ways to get out of the office if you insist on using every minute possible for work is to expand your network. Every city and most towns have various ways to network, whether it’s writing groups, Toastmasters, volunteering with charities, business groups, or workshops, join them.
At these groups, you'll meet new people, learn new things, and share your own ideas, the perfect chance to expand your network, ultimately helping your business.
If you have your own business, you are an expert at something. Even if you only recently started, you must know something about your business, likely more than many other people. So use this to your advantage, offer to speak to groups, and at events related to your field, even better offer workshops and classes to teach people a bit of what you do.
This is the best ways to find new customers and show that you’re an expert in your field.
Finally, join a fitness club. Sitting at a computer all day, possibly for long hours is not healthy, it’s easy to gain weight and lose energy.
By joining a gym, a dance class, practicing yoga, or something similar will keep you healthy, increase your energy levels, and get you out of the house around people. Combined with a healthy diet, and even though you may not be working, you’ll be more productive thanks to being able to concentrate better and working faster.
Working from home doesn’t have to be isolating, you can still meet people, talk to your friends, and leave your home office. If you do it properly you can have even more freedom while still getting work done then when you worked in the office.
Dan Clarke specializes in helping people achieve their dreams of working from home, whether it's full time or simply to help raise some extra money. Currently raising a family, and having broken away from the 9 to 5 routine through his own work, he uses his own experience to advise people on how to achieve a success both in their business and with their family. www.lets-get-happy.com