I Work at Home and I Haven’t Gone Mad Yet

Times have changed and with this new era, we adapted new routines and new ways to live our lives at the end we are learning to survive like we always do.

We are going to reach almost a year into the massive work-from-home shift, every day more business leaders are changing their mindset about productivity equality between home and office.

There is no doubt that the promotion of self-employment and new technologies are making more appealing work-from-home. A dream by many that are turning to reality.

The overwhelming data shows the success of remote work with and great increase: Now 83% of employers have shifted to remote work compared to 73% in June 2020.

Online, there are many pages with tips on how to successfully address and adapt to the work-from-home situation. So I’ve encouraged myself to make a list of my own. I encourage you to help me complete it:

“If working remotely is such a great idea, why isn’t everyone doing it? I think it’s because we’ve been bred on the idea that work happens from 9 to 5, in offices and cubicles. It’s no wonder that most who are employed inside that model haven’t considered other options, or resist the idea that it could be any different. But it can.” — Michelle Obama

Build new routines Used to work for years as an employed person, many try to reproduce office habits without assuming that working at home is a different situation. For example, it is more productive to establish a working time that is commensurate with the actual workload than sitting ten hours a day on the computer.

50% discipline and 50% flexibility Working at home implies a strong will to organize. At least, work should be done with daily checklist, weekly, and monthly targets. Of course, all of them are focused on the annual target. But its application must be flexible: planning can change after the phone has been unloaded. The response speed is one of the values that customers recognize to the freelance worker, so you have to be able to fulfill those expectations by accommodating in a new calendar the other tasks.

If it’s gonna take you five minutes, solve it. In everyday life, there are a lot of things that can be solved in a few minutes, dragging them from one day to the next on the agenda generates stress, misrepresents, and more importantly: “that the urgent doesn’t prevent you from doing the important thing” must coexist with resolution.

Don’t forget the commercial work The demands of your clients can devour your entire day, which in many cases is not justified either by the complexity of the work or the financial compensation you will receive. We need to learn how to keep them at a distance and to only make the necessary meetings. Earning that time is vital so that no week stops meeting the commercial goal that should be on your task list, even if they are a couple of calls, don’t stop making them.

Learn to say no. In the age of networking, it is common to receive many inconsistent collaboration proposals. Add to this the fact that some people understand your situation as a domestic worker as a weakness, which leads them to make crazy proposals that lack any value for you. The sooner you say no, the more you will win.

Don’t isolate yourself. By contrast, working at home is not synonymous with working alone. Keep your network of contacts alive and expand as much as you can, keeping in mind those who can complete your work with you. Establishing one or two meetings of this type a week is a good idea, and it will also serve to share experiences and clear you up.

Define your workspace. I believe that each should be organized according to its criteria, but I believe it is essential to establish a fixed working area. And a must when the worker at home coexists with the family, everyone has to learn that when you’re sitting there they can’t bother you.

Technology, your friend. And I’m not talking about mobile and the Internet, of course. Learn, identify and incorporate new tools into your tasks to resolve them more effectively.

Build your brand. Working hard and well is fundamental, but that effort must be perceived by your customers and the market. Identify opinion leaders and establish partnerships with them, write a blog, position your name (your brand) on the Internet and social networks. Ultimately, act with a strategy to build your reputation, it’s going to become the best asset.

Take care of your family, friends, and yourself. One of the most common problems for this worker is his isolation and not knowing how to put an end to the working day, which certainly does not help his mental health. Finding time for all is another obligation, especially for oneself: keep on enjoying the outdoors with your children, a beer with friends and play sports.

The bottom line Unfortunately the current global pandemic is here to stay for a while, as soon we adapt to the new ways better. Look at the advantages stay home in pajamas, avoiding traffic and weather conditions, saving on vehicle maintenance, time wasted commuting all that will equal perhaps to pay a little more on energy bills but isn’t that worth it for peace of mind and a steady salary to take care of your family?

“Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out”. — Jim Rohn