“Am I a good work-from-home candidate?”

by | Sep 5, 2020

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Someone just screamed at their phone: “NO!” And I sympathize.

In February or March, your employer may have joined the worldwide lockdown movement. The company sent you home to work. From … home. Every … weekday. For … for months!

You plunged ahead, called your entrepreneur buddies for support, and … “got ‘er done.” You’ve seen the work world from our side.

And we’ve seen that gleam in your eye.

Are you ready to leap into a home office full time?

Say “Goodbye” to the corporate world?

Let’s have a little fun as we try to figure it out.

Did you try the fake commutes?

Did you dress for work and drive around the block a couple of times before you were ready to tackle your day?

One person told me he now has breakfast meetings at least two days
a week to get the business-mode juices flowing.

I thought these ideas were just funny TV commercials, but they’re real!

You know what? If fake commutes get you pumped for work, go for it.

Did you work in your jammies?

Hey! whatever trips your trigger. Suit? Pajamas?

Most of us land somewhere in between.

I stick with business casual. If the doorbell rings or a client needs a face-to-face on a project, I’m prepared.

Did you keep regular hours?

If you ‘work for the man,’ you probably kept the company’s regular hours.

‘Regular hours’ is a relative concept, though. I tend to stay up late and start my workdays later than most people. This is my ‘regular,’ and I set my schedule around it.

At first, I felt guilty for not. doing. the. regimented. 8:00. to. 5:00. Then I acquired clients in five different time zones. I am not feeling guilty anymore. I work to my unique biorhythm, which is during someone’s 8:00 to 5:00. Right?!

Encouragement from home-based entrepreneurs

Let me share some ideas from (mostly) people who have jumped off the clichéd corporate treadmill.

I hope you find encouragement, here.

IIIII did, and I’ve been at this a long time!

    • “Stay professional (in or out of your pajamas), and discipline yourself to start/stop work when you need to. Business is business, whether you’re in a 10-story mega-company or a room at home. Freelancers have figured this out over the years. You can, too. We’re a helpful bunch. Just ask … we can give you ideas for your situation.”
      .
    • “It took forever to get past Imposter Syndrome. Who did I think I was, sitting in my house, acting like I was doing real work? I finally realized: I was doing real work, just like Hewlett and Packard and Dell and Harley and Davidson and Disney with their humble beginnings!”
      .
    • “The biggest mistake I made was thinking I could cancel my kids’ daycare once I went out on my own. I couldn’t work at home with them underfoot anymore than I would have in an office. They go to daycare two days a week, and they love it. That’s when I get most of my projects done.”
      .
    • “What did I learn from COVID? My entrepreneur friends work harder than I do! No wonder they’re so good at getting through computer issues. I thought I had this tech thing down until I was stuck at home with no IT department to back me up. I admire anyone who takes this on full time as the owner.”
      .
    • “I empathize. I’ve been working from home for 20 years and feel it took the first 10 to get on top of it. I felt bad for all the people who were forced into working at home this year. I wondered, “How will they figure out the balance between office and home?” Well, just like we did, I guess. You make it work.”
      .
    • “The best advice I can throw out there for a home office? Set aside space. The dining room table doesn’t count. A room where you can shut the door is best, even if it’s tiny. My first office was a walk-in closet in my apartment. I could draw a physical and mental line between work and home by closing the door. Make yourself ignore that area during off-hours.”

The good news/bad news of it all

The good and bad news about working from home? Same answer for both:

“You’re cut out for it, or you’re not.
There is no ‘sort of’ or middle ground.
No one can teach it to you. It’s a mindset.”

A friend told me about a manager who can’t handle the work-at-home ‘thing.’

When this supervisor discovered her group would continue working remotely … for the foreseeable future … she imploded.

The team is disbanding as the employees leave for a work-conducive atmosphere.

Have you decided?

After all these months, you know where you fall in this work-from-home matter.

What’s the verdict?

If you can get the discipline down, a home office may work for you. You can learn all the business-y stuff, but …

A work-no-matter-what attitude
and the ability to go with the flow?
It’s born in you.

Today, I’ve unloaded the dishwasher, done two loads of laundry (nothing’s folded or put away, yet if that makes you feel better), and helped a neighbor with a printer issue.

Those first two took about four hours since part. of. the. discipline is doing the extra stuff in spurts during short breaks. Then it’s back to the projects and deadlines. [The house robots do most of the work. I’m just the loader, unloader, and put away-er 😎 ]

My workdays rarely contain Domestic Goddess duties. But when they do, I can cope.

If you’re a good work-from-home
candidate, you can cope, too.


Join the Conversation

It’s your turn! Please select one of these discussion topics, or bring your own.

Did you

• Find a way to start or save a business during the shutdown?
• Make a work-at-home discovery that surprised you?
• Decide to look seriously at entrepreneurship?

Please share this post, subscribe so you won’t miss my other offerings, and scroll down to join the conversation in the comments section.

Let’s all learn from each other


Thanks for stopping by!

I look forward to helping you get to non-overwhelm. Email me at kyork@kathieyork.com to tell me about your biz issue. Maybe a quick (non-invoice) 15-minute call can get you unstuck and on your way.


 

 

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2 Comments

  1. Norman Phelps

    Excellent! My wife and I are retired but our son has been working from home since the start of the Pandemic. He loves it. He is very strict about putting in his expected hours. He is able to take a walk at mid day and come back refreshed for his second half. He’s even lost weight since he no longer goes out to lunch with his coworkers. Thanks Kathie. Great Job!

    Reply
    • Kathie York

      That’s a great story, Norman.

      This has been freeing for many, terrifying for some.
      That mid-day getaway is one of the reasons those of us with an office at home can get so much done.

      The break really does reboot the energy. It allows us to put in the hours, but not always in a straight row – ha!

      Thanks for the info. Interesting, and encouraging to hear, K.

      Reply

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Kathie York, CSQE
Queen of Non-Overwhelm
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