How to Overcome the Feeling of Isolation When You Work at Home - 8 Great Ideas
There can be many benefits for someone who works from home. Working
from the comfort of your home allows you the freedom and flexibility to
blend your business schedule with your personal schedule. It also helps
you save money because you are not paying for transportation or parking.
On the flip side, there can also be one big disadvantage. It is commonly referred to as the isolation factor.
Whether this truly is a disadvantage for you or not will most likely
depend on your personality type, as well as your previous work
experiences.
Feeling isolated and restless is like having cabin fever. If you are
home alone each day and start to feel like you have cabin fever while
you are working at home, then you may wish to consider some of the
following ideas.
Book Regular Lunch Dates With Friends
Perhaps you can get in touch with some people that you use to enjoy
working with at a previous job. Or maybe you have some local friends
that also work from home. Depending on your schedule, you may suggest a
weekly get together or a monthly get together.
Attend Online Webinars That Pertain To Your Business
Even though you do not necessarily see the other participants, you
will most likely have a chance at the end of the webinar to interact
with the Instructor and the other participants that are online.
You might also meet someone during the webinar that you feel you
would like to speak to offline about a business idea or venture, or
something else that you have in common.
Join a Mastermind Group That Meets On A Weekly Basis
Joining a mastermind group provides you with two excellent benefits.
The first one is the socialization aspect of getting together and speaking with other people face to face.
The second is the benefit to your business.
During these meetings you can exchange business ideas, learn new ways
of doing things, learn about other businesses, and support one another.
Meet With Business Owners That You Could Potentially Create A Joint Venture With
In between your weekly mastermind meetings phone some of the people
that you were speaking with and suggest that just two or three of you
get together for coffee or lunch.
This will allow you to get to know one another, and also to see if
there are some aspects of your business that you could collaborate on.
Join A Walking Or Hiking Club That Gets Together On A Regular Basis
You can either create your own club with friends and neighbours or
you can look on the Internet or in your newspaper for clubs in your
local area. This is a great opportunity to get away from your business
and take in the local sites while getting some fresh air.
Go to the Gym And Workout Or Join An Exercise Class 3 Or 4 Times A Week
You can go with a friend or you can go alone. You most likely will
not feel alone because of all the other people there. I find that there
is more interaction amongst people when you participate in a class
versus walking on a treadmill.
Grab Your Laptop And Hang Out At Your Local Coffee Shop For A Few Hours
Sometimes when I go to Starbucks I see one or two people sitting in the corner working away on their laptop.
In the summer they move outside to the front of the coffee shop. It
is much easier to work from remote locations with wireless access being
offered in so many locations these days.
Even though the people working on their laptops are not necessarily
involved with other people in the coffee shop, they still feel the
energy around them.
Attend Conferences
Attend business conferences and trade shows that relate to the type
of work that you are doing. Some that come to mind are BlogWorld which
is being held in NYC in June, NAMS (Niche Affiliate Marketing Workshop)
which is a weekend event that happens twice a year in Atlanta, and the
International Consumer Electronics Show that takes place in Las Vegas.
source: tacklingourdebt.com
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