Modern Technology: Avoiding the pitfalls of working from home

Modern Technology: Avoiding the pitfalls of working from home

By Zatni Arbi

JAKARTA (JP): One of the most prevalent challenges faced by
people who work from home is loneliness. After the rest of the
family has left for their respective office or school, you find
yourself all alone. No one to chat with, no one to share your
thoughts and feelings.

So, Rule No. 1 for teleworkers, telecommuters or home workers
is to set aside some time in your schedule to get out and mix
with other people. Include lunch with your friends in your weekly
schedule. It does not have to be at expensive cafes or coffee
shops, it can be in the basement canteen of their office
building. The point is, do not get isolated for too long at a
time.

If your work includes interviewing people, make it also an
opportunity to go out and meet other people. If you actually work
for a company, it is more than just a good idea to go to the
office at least twice a week, it is a must. That way, you will be
able to avoid the feeling that you are disconnected from the
people you work with, that you are getting "out of the loop".

By being at the office just two days a week, you will also be
able to update yourself with the latest office gossip and
maintain your visibility. You can leave for your office after the
morning rush hour and return home earlier than the crowd, so you
will not have to waste too much time in traffic both ways.

One of the strongest attractions of working from home is the
unmatched flexibility that it offers. You can work virtually at
any time you like, and take a rest any time you need. However, if
your home-office area is too close to the living room, where the
center of the family's activities are, you might be tempted to
take more frequent rests than you should, and it can hurt your
productivity.

Therefore, if it is possible, you need to have a rather
isolated place for your home office. It should be a bit separated
from the rest of the house. For sure, you cannot simply put your
notebook on your dining table and call it your home office. A
converted garage would be a good choice -- rather than a
converted bedroom with a door that opens directly into the living
room where your family members usually watch TV.

Another important thing about your work area at home is that
it should not be very close to the kitchen or the dining table.
Here in Indonesia, it is not uncommon to leave food on the table
between meals, and just the sight and smell of it will tempt you
to walk over and have a nibble. Remember that working at home
means you walk less, and walking less combined with eating more
is a very effective prescription for gaining more weight.

A small refrigerator in the home office is a good idea as long
as you fill it with plain water and some healthy snacks. You will
have some problems if you fill it with chocolates. Moreover, no
matter where you work, you need to take short breaks and stretch.
A 10-minute break will refresh the mind, especially if you
combine it with some stretching and pacing around.

If you have children in the house, you may need to tell them
and make them really understand that you work in your home
office. You may insist that they knock on the door before
entering your office, and that they can do it only if they have
some truly urgent reason to disturb you. Try to maintain the same
work hours as your own office hours, which also means that your
children should not bother you between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

When working at home, it is also very easy to include weekends
into your schedule. You may start by saying to yourself: "I will
spend this weekend working on this project so I can submit it
first thing Monday morning, but this will be the only time I'll
sacrifice my weekend." Before you know it, you will also spend
the following weekend working, and then the weekend after that.
If you did not normally work on weekends at the office in the
past, why should you do it now? While it is easy to be lazy when
working at home, it is equally easy to overwork if you do not
watch the clock.

Finally, the biggest challenge of working at home is to keep
working despite all the distractions. You do need strong self-
discipline when you work from home, whether you are an employee
or self-employed. Remember that, even though no one is watching
over your shoulder, you still carry the responsibility of
delivering your work on schedule. With practice, you may be able
to overcome the tendency to goof off.