How to Work from Home
Back when I was still on the hamster wheel of 9-to-5 work, I’d wake up to the sound of Francisco’s sleep and spirit shattering alarm clock and start the day grumbling.
More mornings than not, I would promptly start crying and ask whether I really had to go to work.
On March 17, 2004–yes, I remember the date!–I was driving to work after my usual early morning crying jag when I came to a screeching halt in traffic that had been stilled by a tractor trailer accident on the Long Island Expressway.
I’d been hit by a tractor trailer myself a few years before, and the experience of spinning off the interstate and doing a series of 360s had left me shaken, all too aware of my mortality. When I saw the mangled car on the LIE, I didn’t hesitate. That was my sign. I inched my way to the next exit, I found a pay phone, I called into work and said, “I’m sorry, but I’m not coming in today. Or ever again, for that matter.”
*
When Francisco and I jumped off the hamster wheel and started working for ourselves, what gave us more pleasure than anything was the freedom of being able to work from home.
No more alarm clock!
We get up when we feel like it. We go to bed when we feel like it. We don’t have to unwind on Fridays or get that anxious knot in the stomach on Sunday nights. We work more than ever, but we also live more than ever. In fact, the line between the two is usually pretty blurry, which is just fine with us.
After 4 years of working from home, I’ve got some advice to share with friends and readers who have either just taken the plunge off the wheel or are planning to do so soon:
1. Create your ideal workspace. It doesn’t have to be a room dedicated to the function of an office, though that’s really divine if possible. But take some time to create your workspace. Think about how you work (do you spread everything out or stack everything up?), what items you like to have around you, what inspires you. It’s YOUR space now; no boss will be coming around to check it.
2. Start each day with a list. I’m a big list-maker, and though not everyone is, the act of sitting down with a cup of coffee or tea each morning and making your list has the power of focusing you in on the big picture and the small picture at the same time. Don’t feel pressured to do everything on the list, but do capture those ideas about projects you’d like to pursue so you don’t lose them.
3. Don’t buy the idea that you must have a routine. I’m a serious Type A personality, but I do not have a daily routine. Once my coffee and list are done, today turns into something totally different than yesterday. If you function better with a rigid routine, honor that. But don’t force yourself to adopt a routine if that’s not your style. In doing so, you’ll likely cut off opportunities, synchronicities, and spontaneity. While the idea of breaking at 3 PM every day for yoga or a walk with the dog sounds nice, it’s just not something I want to PLAN. And if I force myself to believe that I have to stick to a routine, then I’ll feel bad about myself when I break it, which is inevitable. And that’s just so against the whole point of working from home!
4. Accept that you will have days that are terribly unproductive. You will waste entire days going through friends’ StumbleUpons or you’ll think of 10 reasons why you should clean the toilet or start planning that round-the-world trip rather than work on a project that’s due. That’s ok. It happens. Do not force yourself to keep working in these circumstances. Stop. Take a break. Do something relaxing and fun. Then get back to work.
5. Redefine what work is. Nobody’s holding you to a job description or dangling the motivators of raises, promotions, or demotions over your head anymore. You work for you. So if you want to go to a concert on the day you told yourself you “should” be working, do it. Write about it on your blog. Photograph it. View it as experience gathering, interest expanding, and portfolio building. All of my friends who work from home do this and some of their best work is produced when they happened to have the camera or notebook along even when they weren’t officially working.
6. Pick & choose advice: While folks like me are more than happy to share their tips for how to work from home, you have to choose what works best for you. Plenty of people have told me I could get a lot more done if I only checked my e-mail twice a day, but I just won’t even consider that. Will it increase my productivity? Perhaps. But by responding to people promptly, I’ve been able to grab opportunities that I might otherwise have missed. It’s advice that’s just not useful for me. When someone wants to tell you how you should work at home, listen, nod your head, say “Thanks,” and then choose what works best for you… and let us know about it!
Work at Home Photo: TheeErin (creative commons)
Hamster Wheel Photo: Williamallthing (creative commons)
July 11th, 2008 at 9:43 am
Life-saving post, Julie. This could have been written by someone who just looked inside my head and decided to address each patch of anxiety point by point. I feel better already!
“And if I force myself to believe that I have to stick to a routine, then I’ll feel bad about myself when I break it, which is inevitable.”
So. True.
July 11th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Eva-
Glad the tips helped! Now that I re-read what I wrote, I’d definitely add:
7. Keep talking with friends who also work from home. You won’t feel nearly as bad about those unproductive days of yours if you do!
July 11th, 2008 at 10:31 am
[...] Julie at Collazo Projects talks about how to work at home. [...]
July 11th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Another solid post!.
Can’t even begin to imagine what must have been going through your mind after the hit.
Got hit by a trailer once – totally my new driver inexperience when I just got my license. I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to stop on the highway for merging traffic. So I stopped, waving to cars at the exit to merge in. They looked puzzled and the next minute – BAMMM!
True story. But I digress….
Great tips. I’m definitely a big list maker. The more I check off, the more I add.
Maybe a subconscious desire to keep feeling busy
July 11th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Lola-
Thanks for your comment. I think you’re right about that subconscious feeling!
July 12th, 2008 at 8:25 am
Great artical, and very timely, for everyone around the world especially here in Australia.
I have always been self employed ie farming , cleaning and maintanence etc. One common factor is killing many right now is rising fuel prices , this puts my business and many others at risk. Your artical has given me some reassurance that I am going about my business the right way . Need to be more organised though .Fortunately a good friend has shown me that working from home can be a far more effective way to live with little stress and still create passive income.
I know as I get older , hate that word old, I know that retirement is going to require some income to allow me to live in relative comfort. Thanks again for the article . John
ps my friend Ken made a video to help me work from home, its working for me.
http://www.blacktienoni.com
July 12th, 2008 at 11:55 am
John-
Here’s the link: http://thetravelersnotebook.com/how-to/how-to-bag-your-9-to-5-and-write-travel-full-time/
Thanks for your comment. I’m thrilled that you found the article helpful and reassuring. You alluded to a great benefit of working from home: it lowers your environmental footprint(no more commuting!) and it lowers your overhead expenses compared to opening a storefront business of some sort. Though you’re already self-employed, you may find an article I wrote for The Travelers Notebook to be helpful because it explains how to assess skills in order to create income… a handy tool for retirement!
July 13th, 2008 at 4:37 am
Thanks Julie I too came to a realization that there was “something better” than the traditional 9 – 5 get up to go to work, then have your “boss” instruct you to “take a break” and lunch then break again” then finally tell you its ok to go home to your family. Thank you for your post you helped me to keep going that “extra” mile to succeed even more!
Wallace (A workk at home dad)
July 13th, 2008 at 11:23 am
Wallace-
Just kidding. I’m really happy that the post inspired you. Keep coming back to visit!
What?? You got TWO breaks?!?! You had a great job!
July 14th, 2008 at 9:13 am
[...] own Julie Collazo writes up her advice on How To Work From Home. Most interesting tidbit: she chose to go freelance after a near-death experience with a [...]
July 14th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
[...] Julie at Collazo Projects talks about how to work at home. [...]
July 14th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
[...] Julie at Collazo Projects talks about how to work at home. [...]
July 15th, 2008 at 10:54 am
[...] own Julie Collazo writes up her advice on How To Work From Home. Most interesting tidbit: she chose to go freelance after a near-death experience with a [...]
July 16th, 2008 at 6:51 am
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July 18th, 2008 at 5:47 am
Great post. While I don’t work at home, I hope to be able to some day.
I’m a hamster of sorts, but like my wheel. At least my cage is not in North America, and I can see palm trees if I crane my neck.
July 24th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Wow – what a perfect post! I just made the leap to full-time working for myself, from home and your article was a big reassurance. At first I was plagued with doubt that I’d never be able to replicate the 9-5 productivity on my own. Once I accepted that that was not the point, I have come to truly enjoy every day of my life, creating each one exactly as I like. There is no job that can feel better than that!
July 24th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Hi, Katie- Glad this post was useful for you! Best of luck!
September 26th, 2008 at 4:51 am
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