3 Pitfalls of Working from Home (and How to Avoid Them)
We have talked a lot on this blog about the advantages of working from home, but it is not all wearing pajama pants in Zoom meetings and being able to run to the store in the middle of the day.
1. Technical difficulties can be harder to resolve. When you are at the office and something goes haywire, you can place call to the IT department and get it taken care of quickly. However, the responsibility of dealing with technical difficulties at home can fall to you and then it is up to you to be your own IT department.
• The problem: Your Wi-Fi drops out and your internet provider either does not have an estimate of when it will be back up and running, or the estimate is sometime between ten minutes and next Thursday.
• The solution: Many cell phone plans allow you to use your phone as a temporary Wi-Fi hotspot. It is not a permanent or longterm solution, but it can get you through a Zoom meeting while your internet provider works out the bugs.
2. Distractions can run rampant. We have talked before about how easy it can be to get distracted at home—between pets and families and chores all begging for your attention, it can be hard to stay focused on the task at hand.
• The problem: Your kids really want to show you a cool video on YouTube, the dog wants to be pet, and you are all too aware of the pile of dirty laundry taunting you from the other room.
• The solution: Set up a compromise with the kids—let them know that you’d love to see the video, but tell them that you need to get through this task for work. Set up a break for yourself at a specific time so you can hang out with your kids and they can look forward to that time with you. In the meantime, encourage the kids to give the dog some extra love for you while you are busy, and give yourself permission to ignore the laundry until your work day is over. Your work time is still your work time, even if you are at your home office and life as you know it will not collapse if the laundry has to wait for a few more hours.
3. Socialization can fall by the wayside. Many of us did not realize the extent to which we relied on those workplace interactions for socialization until many of us transitioned into working from home during quarantine.
• The problem: You are an extrovert who misses those daily water cooler chats and you feel like your team is not as connected as you were before the shift to working from home.
• The solution: Set up a Zoom happy hour for team building! Just because you might not be able to get together in person does not mean you have to forgo the socialization you enjoy. As an extra advantage, there is never a problem getting a refill or finding a table in a crowded hangout spot!
What are some of your creative solutions for combating common pitfalls of working from home? Show us how you manage work and your side gig while staying boosted with Verve, and tag us on social media!