All three WTD contributors work from home in some capacity.
One of us is a freelance writer, one of us is continuing on with Academic work
by pursuing her PhD in the fall and one of us just got a remote position. You
may remember my downtrodden post As a New Grad am I Simply an Expendable Commodity? about my struggle to find meaningful work
in a challenging market. I’m happy to announce my patience, perseverance and
determination paid off and I got a dream
job!
A huge contributing factor in my job hunt was the search
for a remote work from home position. It didn’t dictate my search but it was
the dream. Not living in a bustling,
happening metropolis centre of the country meant that it was harder to find a
position that would be engaging and interesting and in my field. I knew that working
remotely was my best chance to get what I wanted. Also, I love that I will now
be home with my dog everyday!
I am not writing this
from a place of experience. Working from home will be a new adventure for
me. Instead, I’m writing this from a place of planning, speculation, excitement
and anticipation. I put a call out there on Twitter for advice on working from home, telecommuting and remote
work. What advice do you have? What has your experience taught you that you can
share with me? Tweet me at @jemcolborne or comment below!
I did “work from home” as a University student for five
years so the concept isn’t foreign to me. I imagine that being a student is
quite different than being an employee, though. There will be more structure
but less creativity, more formalities and less work at your own pace. I envision an equal number of due dates and deadlines. I
hope for less all nighters and cramming. Since graduating, I have acquired a new office, a new desk and a new computer so everything about the home office experience will be new and different.
I also worked from home as a content writer and even wrote a blog about organizing my home office a while ago if you're interested: Home Office Organization. Interestingly, even though I wrote that post while organizing my office it was only for part time work and truly I haven't put it to use. One of the biggest problems I had was my wifi which wasn't strong enough. I purchased a wifi booster last night to strengthen the signal in my office!
I asked another WTD writer for some advice and she gave me a
list of things to assess in my home office before making any changes:
Seating
A comfortable yet ergonomic desk chair is a must. Sitting on your couch is simply not okay for a professional job and isn't good for your back anyway. Consider a mat underneath the chair for rolling. What about an alternate/healthy sitting option (standing desk or stability ball to get the circulation flowing)?I personally love this wicker backed IKEA Gregor desk chair:
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| IKEA GREGOR |
Power Source
Have apower bar for multiple plug-ins, a battery backup for power outages, look up cord organization.I might try something simply like this idea from Lifehacker! Also, read this super helpful Lifehacker post on 10 Office Decluttering Tips.
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| Life Hacker |
Light
Test natural light on screen for glare. Ensure there is sufficient light (natural & artificial) in the room. I don't have overhead ceiling lights so this is especially important for me!Privacy
Is there a door that can be closed for privacy and soundproofingMeals
Snacking is a major drawback of working from home. Stock the fridge with healthy easy-to-make home lunches and snacks. Baby carrots are great! Have a water bottle and healthy snacks at the desk to eliminate getting up for water breaks. |
Supplies
I went through some office must haves in my last Home Office Organization blog. What about anything special or extra like headphones? Can you make your supplies pretty and organized?Organization
Do you need a calendar, planner, daytimer…
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You might want to check out our Organized Chaos Pinterest boar for more inspiration!
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