There’s no place like home.
About six months ago I packed up two boxes of flair, a few posters, a lamp and a plant and left my office job to start my own consulting practice out of my home office. I was a bit hesitant about working on my own. I thought I’d miss people, have trouble structuring my time without 15 meetings a day, and completely give up any boundaries between work and personal life.
I’m happy to report that I love working from home on my own. I spend some time onsite with clients, but the majority of my time is spent in my home office. I’m working on a few fun projects (hence the slowdown in blog posts) and am really enjoying the change from corporate life.
What I love:
THE WORK
I help companies evolve. I’m an organizational design and change management consultant - that means companies bring me in when they’re in a growth spurt and aren’t sure how to get to the next level. I put on my organizational design hat and work with them to figure out what skills they’ll need, what their teams should look like, and what processes and tools will help them get the work done. Then I go into change management mode and work with them to build a plan to get from here to there as quickly and easily as possible.
I love knowing that I’m making people’s lives easier, that I’m easing some of the stress in a scary time, and that I’m helping them reach their goals.
My projects are usually 4-6 weeks long, so I there’s always something new around the corner, and I get to meet a lot of really smart people doing great work.
EXTRA TIME
no commute (+1 hour/day)
no need to get dressed up (+.5 hour/day)
flexible schedule lets me run errands during the week (+1 hour/week)
That’s over 8 hours a week - or one whole workday I’ve gained! I wish I could say I was doing something productive with that time, but between client work, building my business and graduate school, this really just gives me time to breathe.
FLEXIBILITY
I set my own hours. Some days that means I’m in my office before 8, but on other days I’ll go to 8:30 yoga and start work at 10. Some weekends I’ll work while the rest of the world fights over carts at Trader Joe’s.
As I mentioned, I’m finishing up a graduate degree, and instead of working for 8 hours straight, then spending a few hours doing research, I can carve out time mid-day to read articles and use my brain in a different way. Then I go back to work since no one cares if I’m “working” regular hours. The change in activity helps keep me refreshed.
FOCUS
I’m my only distraction. I’ve gotten very good at training myself to fight my multitasking tendencies and work in blocks of time on a single task. Each Monday I map out the week, and schedule blocks of time in my calendar as if they were meetings. I find I get so much done that I’m able to have non-working time without feeling guilty, preserving the work/home boundary. And when I need a break, I take the dogs for a walk, or do some light chores around the house - stuff I need to do anyway - freeing up the time later.
It’s taken me a while to fall into a rhythm. Here are a few things that have helped me adjust:
Don’t deal with home stuff when working. I don’t answer the door (unless I’m expecting a package), or answer non-work calls during the day.
Buttons. As in pants with buttons and a waistband. I get dressed in real clothes (not yoga pants) almost every day. They are not the nice clothes I wore to my old job (cutting down on laundry and dry cleaning), and there might be a few sweatshirts in (very) high rotation, but there are real pants involved. This keeps total sloth at bay, and makes a work day feel different from a sick day.
Go somewhere every day. I go to a gym every weekday before I start working, and I make plans with friends at least once a week for lunch or a drink or a walk. Occasionally I’ll camp out in a coffee shop for a change of scenery.
Stay connected. Take breaks throughout the day to check in on the world, and on your world. For me this means checking a few news sites and social media, and chatting with friends on IM. When I’m focused I close everything but the program I’m working in, but I give myself breaks.
Find conversations to overhear. When you work in an office you learn things just by listening. You can do the same thing when you work at home by following blogs and people on Twitter who work in your area and write about things you’re interested in.
Find work you can get lost in. When you’re absorbed in what you’re doing, you could be anywhere.
I know this lifestyle isn't for everyone, and it may not be for me forever. But for now it's working, I'm productive, I'm relaxed and I'm happy.