working from home.
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- dinnum
how many of you work from home, and those that do, how do you keep the motivation going?
i've been doing projects from home for about a yr now, as the agency i work for tends to only have adhoc projects and also i wanted to spend the rest of my time building up my business.
i tend to be very self motivated, however from time to time, like now, i just hit a wall and miss the interaction and banter of a busy agency.
- uberdesigner0
get a network of coffee shops/libraries that you can go to to work from. sitting at home all day makes you fester.
- Juan_Dumplo0
what is fester??
- Juan_Dumplo0
fes⋅ter [fes-ter] Show IPA
–verb (used without object)
1. to form pus; generate purulent matter; suppurate.
2. to cause ulceration, as a foreign body in the flesh.
3. to putrefy or rot.
4. to rankle, as a feeling of resentment.
–verb (used with object)
5. to cause to rankle: Malice festered his spirit.
–noun
6. an ulcer; a rankling sore.
7. a small, purulent, superficial sore.
Origin:
1350–1400; (n.) ME festir, festre < AF, OF festre < L fistula fistula (for -l- > -r- cf. chapter ); (v.) ME festryn, deriv. of the n. or < OF festrir
- dinnum0
thing is, even with cool projects, it's hard sometimes to get on and do them from home. yet, when i work in an agency i can find it quite distracting and not always produce my best work.
- braaad0
I get so much more done from home than when I was at an agency mostly because I don't go to meetings anymore!!!
- mikotondria30
Just suck it up and work hard.
Take frequent, but short, breaks which may include things like washing up, laundry verbs, trips to the store, coffee and sandwich breaks. Counter this with actually enjoying putting in a couple of hours after dinner, because quite often this can turn into really rewarding 1 and 2am sessions where you get a quantity and quality of stuff done that you never would in a week of sitting opposite someone to distract you. Know that at other times you'll realise you've got jack shit done for what seems like all day - realise that work and personal/home life seperation has to exist in your mind, and on your computer if it's not precisely defined by geography or the clock. Get up early and straight out of bed and you can do a great hour in your underwear before you'd normally get dressed.
Get a nice chair, and Febreze it often.
- uberdesigner0
take a mid day trip to the gym
- hektor9110
All of the above... maybe think of a hobby that take you mind off your daily projects.
- dinnum0
i tend to get inspiration and produce my best work at sporadic times, which doesn't always fit into a standard daily schedule.
it can be bloody annoying as i've got lots of ideas i want to execute and get on with, but because i want to produce the best i possibly can, i then delay starting things until i feel totally ready. it's an odd one.
- Meeklo0
I run in the mornings and I try to work from coffee shops at least 3 days a week, I get so much more done when I'm not at home, so much faster and way better work.
If I really want to focus I go work at starbucks because I have no access to internet (unless you pay) oh man... I do a month worth of work in one afternoon and 2 chai teas
- I'm going to take this advice - I've been working from the home for 6 years now... and I'm GOING FUCKING INSANE.PonyBoy
- get your ipod, and some noise plugs for when you need silence, a little tea, I like it so much betterMeeklo
- some people find the people activity distracting though. its an excuse to shave and get out of your pajamasMeeklo
- perhaps i'll get a little less stoned too... & there's so many things to swiffer and polish when at homePonyBoy
- PonyBoy0
if you can't work outside your niche... what good are ya?
- Hurley0
how do i learn web coding without going threw the dreadfully boring lynda tutorials or reading?
- view-sourcemikotondria3
- actually, if any of it seems boring to you, you'd probably be better off doing something else. "Bored is a decision"mikotondria3
- *should become a politicianutopian
- nocomply0
I started working 100% from home 2 weeks ago.
What I've noticed is that it makes your world shrink. I'm going days at a time without being farther than 2 miles from home. Going days at a time without getting in a car is also very nice.
Staying motivated can be tough, but I generally have a pretty good work ethic. I like to get up early and shower and put on clothes and shoes before sitting down at the computer. I think it helps me focus.
Once or twice a week I'm spending a couple hours at a local coffee shop, which is a nice change but can sometimes be annoying when I don't get a good spot to work.
- arthur0
I'm with you nocomply. I get all ready for the day, take my kid to school, then come back home to work. Years ago I wouldn't shower until after lunch and I found I wasn't nearly as productive on those days. Something about acting like a professional makes you feel like a professional, you know.
A friend and I have been doing the coffee shop thing lately too and it makes me feel like I'm part of a larger society again.
Love working from home. I've been doing it for 12 years and I know I could never return to an office, unless I owned it.
- jamble0
I've been working from home full time for nearly 2 1/2 years now for direct clients and agencies and it's nice when I work for agencies as sometimes they want me on-site which is good for getting out of the house but generally I much prefer being at home.
No 1 1/2 hour commute each way, no lunch and travel expense and just generally much less hassle.
Staying motivated is no harder than sitting in an office and right from the beginning I decided to set myself "normal" office hours which I stick to and take the same breaks I would if I worked in an office.
I'd say the hardest part is if you're stuck for inspiration or need a second set of eyes on a project just to get past a sticking point, in an office you can normally just have a conversation with a colleague and come up with new ideas. If you're at home you don't generally have that option.
- i went from driving 50 miles a day + tolls to 6 miles a week lolHurley