How you deal with isolation is the key to whether you can happily work from home or not, and all of the homeworkers I spoke to mentioned it as one of the crucial challenges of working from home. There is no-one else around to chat to, discuss the news with, or give you some help when you're feeling stuck.
How happy you feel working alone will depend on your personality, and largely on whether you are an introvert or extrovert. But no matter how much you enjoy your own company, there will inevitably be times when you want to interact with others. The desire to feel connected with other people is a basic human need.
American psychologist Abraham Maslow published his famous Hierarchy of Needs in the 1950s and it has since become one of the fundamental building blocks of personal development and training. Maslow puts what he calls 'belongingness and love needs' – which include work group, as well as family and other relationships – as the next most important to fulfil after the physical need for air, food, water and shelter, and the 'safety' need for security and stability. In other words, once you are warm, fed and watered, and reasonably sure there aren't any nasty surprises threatening your survival, your most pressing requirement is that of companionship.
The good news is that when you work from home, you don't actually have to work at home and you have the freedom to get out and about at any time of day, by planning your work accordingly.
As a homeworker, it is entirely your responsibility to organise regular contact with people who can provide you with the energy and encouragement to keep motivated. I regard this as a top priority, the next most important thing to getting your work done. If you are happy with your own company, it can be tempting to put off meeting other people when you are under pressure, but without some external input, you can quickly lose your momentum.
'Keep in touch!' How often do we say this? And how often do we then neglect to follow it through? Regularly keeping in touch with a group of useful contacts will help you to be successful when you are working from home – some may be able to connect you with other people, some may provide complementary skills to your own, some may come up with good ideas, others may be objective when you can't see the wood for the trees and help you to make a decision. People like this can provide you with a strong and diverse network, so there are huge benefits in keeping up the contact. Building and maintaining a strong network will help you to retain your sanity and perspective when working alone, by providing practical, emotional and intellectual support.
Make sure you don't just call people when you want something from them, ring just to say hello and ask how things are. Don't wait until there's a crisis, it's too late by then and your network will shrivel pretty quickly if you only ever get in touch to ask favours. Instead make a diary note if time tends to fly by and you forget to do it.
Would they prefer to have a chat on the phone, meet up for a casual coffee or arrange a more formal meeting to discuss an aspect of work you have in common? Varying the means of communication keeps life interesting for you as well as getting the best from them. No doubt you will come across many other ways, depending on your profession and personality.
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05302010
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