Often, writers who work from home face unique challenges [That aren't faced by traditional office workers] due to the nature of their work. Here are a few problems and hindrances that I have experienced at one time or other and some solutions to these problems/challenges. 1] Your PC breaks down or your computer just won't start one day. You can't get any work done till you get things fixed, which will often take time. Possible solution : If it's a software/Operating system problem, having two different operating systems [Windows 98/Linux and XP for example] will often help. Set both up for internet access. 2] You have to travel/stay somewhere away from home for some event or need, you won't be getting any work done if you have only a desktop. Solution: Get a laptop if it is a justifiable expense and if you travel often. You might also visit an internet cafe. 3] Social life [Meeting actual people]. Officegoers meet and interact with many people during the course of their work and travels to office. So to make sure that our people skills and connections with physical reality don't die, we should schedule some time for leisure travel, hanging out with friends and participating in events or places where we can interact with others [Gym, charity work, dance classes or whatever] What are the unique challenges and problems you face as result of working from home? How do you solve those problems?
Oh good thread! I just blogged about this topic this week...... I think also having a second (or even third) browser to get on to the Internet is very helpful. That's been very useful when there are problems (occasional) with IE. Having a second email address with lots of storage. One of the biggest problems I know I've faced is that I can literally work seven days a week if I'm not careful. You do need some down time. It is very important to both work and to play. To step away FROM the monitor occasionally! lol
Cats. Cats are my problem. My "children" need attention constantly. There is one laying on my right wrist right now. They walk across my laptop, causing anomalies in the way the keyboard works. One (the one on my wrist) needs lovins constantly. He lays in the space in front of my laptop with his little ears sometimes moving the mouse as they move across the laptop mouse pad. I love him too much to get him off me though :>
Problems with your ISP. Make sure you know of some nearby restaurants or coffee shops that have wi-fi, preferably free. Or, if you live in an apartment building, check to see if you can piggyback on a neighbor's signal.
Working with young children at home is a entire universe of challenges. Setting up a schedule that you must stick to is the only way I've found to survive. I assign projects to a certain time immediately and complete them on time. Otherwise work would become lost in my chaos of teething toddlers, 10 loads of laundry a week, messy kitchens and little toy soldiers laying all over the floor. Of course, I'm a teacher also, so I do experience some of the same issues in that workplace...LOL As far as technical issues, I'm lucky to be married to Mr. Techie. My work time is extremely limited by my other two jobs (teaching and kids),so I can't have technical problems. In fact, I don't have the luxury of any problems. When problems do occur, years of some serious problem solving skills get called into play, and that rigid schedule includes built-in wiggle room. Procrastination is another luxury that simply doesn't fit my current lifestyle. Did y'all know Häagen-Dazs has Peppermint Bark Ice Cream? It's a truly awesome luxury I do allow myself to afford.
Seven days a week is something that you can do without even knowing. Internetauthor said the keyword, schedule, you have to "book" time for yourself to go out for an hour in the middle of the day and head out for a walk in the late afternoon. Easier said than done sometimes, as they say, "time is money," factor it into your pricing
Thanks for the useful tips, everyone! What do you think might be a workaholic's dream career? When a person is his own boss, he sometimes feels and acts like it's okay to brutally abuse and over-work himself. You need to remember to treat yourself humanely! There is also the opposite scenario, working very little and giving oneself too much free time and procrastinating.
I think that by using a laptop, I am just distracted to go and do other things. Especially when doing research! Although I think this tool could help me: http://lab.drwicked.com/writeordie.html Not meaning to spam, I'm not assosciated with them, but this looks really useful for churning out those 500 word articles.
YL Prinzel -- I have 3 cats er, "coworkers" over here One of my cats has gotten VERY smart about understanding how my computer and I get the work done. When my cat feels I've done enough work for the day, he climbs up on my computer desk, sits on the computer mouse and if I try to reach for it -- he tries to bite me! I'd discipline him but it is just too hysterical!!!! lol So I go get a cup of tea instead and give him a little kibble and pat him a few times and he seems to calm down. Then I can go back to the keyboard! Two of my guys are sleeping on my floor next to the radiator. The sound of echoed purring........ Priceless!
I found myself coming up with great blog topics when I was nowhere near my work area or didn't have the time to write for myself at that moment. Conversations with clients have often led to an aha, that would make a great blog article moment. Rather than interrupt their project to write the article or blog entry, I figured that I couldn't possibly forget the idea. Ah, such a misguided notion. Now, I keep a sort of to-do list with article topics and ideas. Same goes for great keyword finds when I'm researching something else. As to having three feline companions, I dearly miss my sweet girl and only wish I had put my keyboard down more frequently to indulge her. I'm so glad you time your coffee break to indulge yours.
That's pretty cool. The consequences aren't dire enough for me though. Somehow I feel like I have to prove to the thing that I don't have to write if I don't want to.
urbt: that's interesting. the kamikaze mode's especially funny. it would be a bitch to write things all over again. YL Prinzel: i also have a cat here, and she's pregnant. so i have to feed her more often than before. EspressoChick: i used to be online every day of the week. but somehow, i got tired of staring at the monitor everyday, so i tried to find other offline activities to do. my challenges: 1. running errands. i'm usually the one who's at home so i do the paying of the bills and other errands. 2. distractions. from TV to PC games to my guitar, there are just too many reasons for me not to work. 3. answering the door. be it the mailman or deliveries of other stuff, i hate to get distracted by the doorbell when i'm deep in my work. i require complete silence. i won't even listen to music when i'm working.
I often just drift away and browse random websites when doing online research. In such a case, you need to realize what is happening and actively prevent yourself from doing so. You need to allocate separate times for recreative browsing and "work" browsing and shouldn't mix the two.
Having a schedule works for me. Keeps everything in line. But when I really need to work, I download offline versions of my reference materials (usually websites of my clients), print out my clients' instructions and go offline. I also use the program called Dark Room to let me really focus simply on writing.
One of the biggest challenges for writers is that even though you're never "really" working, you never really feel like you're off either. It's important to establish an office space and do your work there, so that you don't feel trapped in your workspace when you should be relaxing.
Well I've done it 17 years so it would be hard to go back to 9-5 although an agency was hardly a 9-5 job. I have become a great techie because I had to. I have 4 browsers and two computers: a pc and a new macbook. My kids have a mac. As far as ISP, I have only one but can go to an internet cafe if needed. But it's rarely out all day and I have plenty of offline work to do. (I never use IE except to preview a website. Firefox, safari, opera) My kids are teenagers now and it was tough when they were little. Time was tight. But the biggest issue I have is distractions--going to answer an email and then getting all tangled up in something else entirely. But when I have a lot to do, the old fashioned to do list helps immensely.
Webgal, I'm completely ADDICTED to to-do lists! lol I create one every night and then prioritize what I need to do. It just totally saves me, saves me daily. I also create a weekly list to see what's coming ahead. I'm not one for big, convoluted systems -- so a to-do list works just dandy for me. Very easy to organize. I just get a little too glee-ful about crossing things off of it -- I think I need a hobby!
This is one of my tricks -- when I do something that wasn't on the list, I find myself adding it at the bottom so that I can immediately cross it off...