Modern Technology: Avoiding the pitfalls of working from home<\/p>\n
By Zatni Arbi<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): One of the most prevalent challenges faced by
\npeople who work from home is loneliness. After the rest of the
\nfamily has left for their respective office or school, you find
\nyourself all alone. No one to chat with, no one to share your
\nthoughts and feelings.<\/p>\n
So, Rule No. 1 for teleworkers, telecommuters or home workers
\nis to set aside some time in your schedule to get out and mix
\nwith other people. Include lunch with your friends in your weekly
\nschedule. It does not have to be at expensive cafes or coffee
\nshops, it can be in the basement canteen of their office
\nbuilding. The point is, do not get isolated for too long at a
\ntime.<\/p>\n
If your work includes interviewing people, make it also an
\nopportunity to go out and meet other people. If you actually work
\nfor a company, it is more than just a good idea to go to the
\noffice at least twice a week, it is a must. That way, you will be
\nable to avoid the feeling that you are disconnected from the
\npeople you work with, that you are getting \"out of the loop\".<\/p>\n
By being at the office just two days a week, you will also be
\nable to update yourself with the latest office gossip and
\nmaintain your visibility. You can leave for your office after the
\nmorning rush hour and return home earlier than the crowd, so you
\nwill not have to waste too much time in traffic both ways.<\/p>\n
One of the strongest attractions of working from home is the
\nunmatched flexibility that it offers. You can work virtually at
\nany time you like, and take a rest any time you need. However, if
\nyour home-office area is too close to the living room, where the
\ncenter of the family's activities are, you might be tempted to
\ntake more frequent rests than you should, and it can hurt your
\nproductivity.<\/p>\n
Therefore, if it is possible, you need to have a rather
\nisolated place for your home office. It should be a bit separated
\nfrom the rest of the house. For sure, you cannot simply put your
\nnotebook on your dining table and call it your home office. A
\nconverted garage would be a good choice -- rather than a
\nconverted bedroom with a door that opens directly into the living
\nroom where your family members usually watch TV.<\/p>\n
Another important thing about your work area at home is that
\nit should not be very close to the kitchen or the dining table.
\nHere in Indonesia, it is not uncommon to leave food on the table
\nbetween meals, and just the sight and smell of it will tempt you
\nto walk over and have a nibble. Remember that working at home
\nmeans you walk less, and walking less combined with eating more
\nis a very effective prescription for gaining more weight.<\/p>\n
A small refrigerator in the home office is a good idea as long
\nas you fill it with plain water and some healthy snacks. You will
\nhave some problems if you fill it with chocolates. Moreover, no
\nmatter where you work, you need to take short breaks and stretch.
\nA 10-minute break will refresh the mind, especially if you
\ncombine it with some stretching and pacing around.<\/p>\n
If you have children in the house, you may need to tell them
\nand make them really understand that you work in your home
\noffice. You may insist that they knock on the door before
\nentering your office, and that they can do it only if they have
\nsome truly urgent reason to disturb you. Try to maintain the same
\nwork hours as your own office hours, which also means that your
\nchildren should not bother you between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.<\/p>\n
When working at home, it is also very easy to include weekends
\ninto your schedule. You may start by saying to yourself: \"I will
\nspend this weekend working on this project so I can submit it
\nfirst thing Monday morning, but this will be the only time I'll
\nsacrifice my weekend.\" Before you know it, you will also spend
\nthe following weekend working, and then the weekend after that.
\nIf you did not normally work on weekends at the office in the
\npast, why should you do it now? While it is easy to be lazy when
\nworking at home, it is equally easy to overwork if you do not
\nwatch the clock.<\/p>\n
Finally, the biggest challenge of working at home is to keep
\nworking despite all the distractions. You do need strong self-
\ndiscipline when you work from home, whether you are an employee
\nor self-employed. Remember that, even though no one is watching
\nover your shoulder, you still carry the responsibility of
\ndelivering your work on schedule. With practice, you may be able
\nto overcome the tendency to goof off.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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