Continental Who's Who

THE DOsAND DON’Ts OF Telecommuting

Working from home — it’s all the rage now, really. With remote access available just about anywhere there’s a WiFi signal, telecommuting is now more possible than it ever was before.        As of January 2016, a Global Workplace Analytics poll indicates that 3.7 million Americans now work from home, at least on a part-time basis. 50 percent of the workforce in the United States consists of jobs that are compatible for telecommuting.  Sure, it is a dream for many of us to think about working in our easy chair while still wearing pajamas all day
long. We can still send email, make phone calls and communicate with coworkers in any form that is now available and complete reports, articles, letters and correspondence of any kind. So long as we have  the technology at our fingertips, telecommuting should be easy.  

However, there is one aspect to the phenomenon of telecommuting that some could lose sight of. Where is the best place to focus? At home...or at the office?  

Working from home does bring its own set of distractions. If you have a pet, that pet is aware of the fact that you are home and will bring its needs to your attention. If you are a parent, working from home can open up a whole new world of flexibility for you — but at the same time, having a child around could be very distracting.  Of course, you have access to your home fridge, as opposed to the shared office fridge. You get to watch your television or listen to the music of your choosing, but what happens when you spend more time watching TV than you do on your work?  But if you are at the office, do not be fooled...there are distractions everywhere. Maybe you are distracted by
that coworker on a loud international conference call. Maybe you cannot get off the internet. Maybe office gossip is rampant. Maybe an impromptu team meeting has interrupted your entire morning plan, and you used your best time management skills to block out time. Maybe a coworker has come to pay you a visit at your cubicle and it is just not a good time for you, but this coworker is dealing with a difficult time at home, and you do not want to turn this person away from your compassionate ear.  If your employer allows you to work from home and you decide that is the lesser of the two evils in terms of distracting work locations, here are a few tips to help you stay focused.   

Change your scenery.  

If you are working in real time and need to stay in constant contact with your office, just shoot a message over indicating you are heading to Starbucks, or to your local library, or to any other location where you will not be distracted. If you cannot step away for long enough to hop in the car and change locations, change rooms, or get outside if weather permits (and, of course, WiFi is available). Just looking at a different wall could do you a world of good.  Take breaks.  In a society that intrinsically de-values the lunch hour.

Take a break, even at home.

Lie down, take a cat nap, eat lunch, go for a walk, make a personal call. It is awfully monotonous to sit in one seat, staring at the same screen, for eight hours — no matter where  you are.   

Use entertainment to your advantage, and don’t utilize the entertainment that you know will diver t you.
If you know that you’ll be distracted by Netflix, unplug your Apple TV or your Roku stick. But if you want to keep the TV on as background noise, try the news. If you cannot deal with the news, turn on a movie you have seen several times.  

Set deadlines for yourself – and reward  yourself when you meet them.  

Even if your boss provides you with a deadline for a project, make your own deadline earlier. An earlier deadline will give you greater focus to work toward finishing it faster. Reward yourself not just with breaks, or with snacks, or with coffee — but with something out of the ordinary that means a lot to you.  

Alert your friends and family to your working hours.  

Working at home does not equal availability for chatting. If you get a personal call or text while you are working from home, you have every right not to answer it.  Realize that telecommuting is not for everyone.  If you try your hand at telecommuting and come to the conclusion that you are easily distracted by the distractions of home, let your employer know. There is no shame
in trying telecommuting — if it is available to you — and returning to the nine-to-five office schedule.