Insights I Gained by Working From Home Before it was Cool

Barbara Mandrell sang about being country when country wasn’t cool.

She sang, “I took a lot of kidding, ‘cuz I never did fit in. Now look at everybody trying to be what I was then.”

Oh, boy! I can relate!

Not necessarily to being country, but I was certainly working from home before it was considered cool.

I started working from home full time in 2011. At the time, nobody else that I knew did so. And there were times I felt like I didn’t quite fit in.

There wasn’t anyone I could commiserate with who “got” me and the unique challenges I faced in my work from home daily routine.

One of those challenges is that it can be lonely and you can feel isolated.

I was a freelance copywriter, a solo entrepreneur, so I didn’t have a team of co-workers or employees. I was the only one getting coffee from the break room (my kitchen) in the morning. Nobody brought donuts as a special treat or a cake for the monthly birthday celebration.

And when I refilled my water bottle, it was just me at the water cooler (my refrigerator). Nobody to talk to about last night’s baseball game or the latest episode of whatever TV shows I watched back then.

Sound familiar?

Another challenge is that sometimes people don’t seem to understand that you actually have work that you do during the day. Need a favor or help with an errand run during the day? Ask Michele … she can do it. She doesn’t punch a time clock.

It’s true. Part of the allure of the work from home lifestyle is having the freedom to set your own hours. If I want to take a two-hour lunch and work an hour later, that’s up to me.

But the work does actually have to get done.

Speaking of the work getting done. I also had to find systems for time management that worked for me as well as ways to keep myself organized.

While it seemed nobody else thought I was cool for working from home, I loved it. And I was determined to figure out how to make it work. Because I did not want to go back to clocking in at an office somewhere and accounting to someone else for my time.

After some years of trial and error, I did figure it out.

Then, when COVID-19 shut everything down and people started working from home, I finally became the cool friend who had some valuable insights and suggestions on how to make it work.

My Tips and Insights for Making Working From Home Work

Here are a few of the basic tips for successfully working from home that I shared with those friends who asked:

• Set regular working hours for yourself.
• Take breaks … outside in the fresh air when possible.
• Develop a strategy so that household tasks (like laundry or cleaning) won’t distract you from work.
• Be diligent with your schedule so that you don’t forget things.
• Set up a dedicated office area.
• Stay connected.

Of course, I’ve developed strategies and systems for sustained working from home success beyond these basic tips. But I didn’t want to overwhelm my friends who were just doing it temporarily out of necessity rather than by true choice.

Now People Want to Work From Home Like Me

Now, though, I’m finding that more and more people are choosing to continue working from home. In fact, a survey done by FlexJobs found that “65% of respondents report wanting to be full-time remote employees post-pandemic, and 31% want a hybrid remote work environment—that’s 96% who desire some form of remote work.”

As Barbara sang, look at everybody trying to be what I was then.

That’s why I’ve started this website as a resource for other women who want to find lasting working from home success.

I’ve been there.

I’ve done that.

And I’m willing to share my experience so that you can shorten your learning curve without all the trial and error that I went through.

If you are choosing this fabulous work from home lifestyle for yourself, then welcome to my Working From Home community, sister! I’m glad you’re here with me! Let’s be cool together!

I invite you to stay connected with me and our community on Facebook, Instagram, and/or LinkedIn.

If you’d like, you can also subscribe to my free newsletter for a convenient weekly recap and to get other content that I share.

This is a beautiful life. And it’s even better when you have people walking alongside you who get it, and who get you.

Let me know how I can help!

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