The author states ” In upstate New York, a growing accpetance of teleworking could eventually spur a population migration toward rural towns throught of as nice places to live, but far from where the majority of jobs are located.”  Wouldn’t that be wonderful? The problem is getting more acceptance of telecommuting, which often (and maybe rightly so) requires proving yourself to your employer first as a full-time in-the-office worker and branching out to telecommuting gradually.

With the option of telecommuting, at least part of the time, my husband can now work from his hometown in Maine -allowing us to take that extra day of travel and avoid some of the heavy weekend traffic when we visit. And with ancillary devices, such as smart phones, one can even create their own mobile hot spot for accessing the Internet.   

For example, ever heard of a results-only work environment? I haven’t, but it exists.  “Under this arrangement, employees can work where and whenever they wish, as long as projects are completed on time.”

Most days I am happy to walk down to my office and savor the quiet. The kids are at preschool, husband is at the office, and not a sound can be heard apart from a soft hum from my fireplace. Most days this is just fine with me. I like myself. I like being by myself. But then loneliness peeks his pesky head around the door and starts putting bothersome thoughts in my head.

When is the last time you ate lunch with someone?

Don’t you miss actually talking to people during the week??

Aren’t you worried you’ll lose your ability to communicate and have to resort to grunts and signs???

Do you know anything at all that is going on outside your little.. insular.. office.. BUBBLE????

AAHHH! I am lonely. Working from home can take its toll. How much can one person stand being alone? I don’t even have conference calls this week.

Time to get out in the real world and make some telecommuting friends–maybe we could meet for lunch once a week, in person, that is.

As a work-from-homer I  agree with this . Just ask my husband. My organization skills sometimes drive him crazy. In fact one of my favorite “hobbies” is purging the house of stuff. If I haven’t used it in the last six months it’s outta here.

To maintain productivity in the home office and simply keep track of what projects I am working on I create folders for each of the three societies I manage. The folders are key to my organization, though my system certainly wouldn’t work for everyone. I have one file drawer next to my desk for Open Projects. In that file drawer are three file folders, one for each client. Within each folder is a notepad with a list of current projects, notes for follow-ups, etc. On any given day that I am working I can take out one file folder and know exactly what needs to be worked on and what needs to be followed up. I also keep a master calendar with the dates for each Board meeting I attend as well as the workshops I organize.

Each association also has it’s own filing cabinet. Each cabinet is well organized and I credit that to lack of actual paper. I could have years of membership applications stuffing the files full, however I digitize the past years materials every month, using a document scanning service called Pixily.  This not only provides greater ease when searching for a document, but I can also create multiple back-ups to distribute to the Presidents of the societies. I once heard a horror story about years worth of paper destroyed from a flooded basement where the files were being kept. No one wants boxes of materials filling their office or their basement, but a few discs are okay by most everyone.

As a telecommuter I really believe organization is key to success.

I picked out. Most mornings it is a pleasant place in which to work.  This morning, however, I feel like I am at the zoo. I live in a neighborhood, but the area is somewhat rural meaning I see the occasional turkey trotting through the yard, some bunnies, something that appears to be a woodchuck, and this morning a swarm of geese.

For the past 30 minutes they have been honking away, LOUDLY. Shutting the windows doesn’t drown out their noise. It is like nothing I have ever heard at my house – it appears they are having some type of “discussion”- and it is completely and totally distracting.

A telecommuting background is enormously helpful when one is away on vacation or business. You might argue that no one should be working while on vacation (with which I agree) but in today’s world it is usually necessary to at least check email. I find this is necessary just to avoid the deluge in my inbox upon returning (I find it incredibly stressful having to spend an entire day sorting through those emails to make sure I haven’t missed something of extreme importance).

I am on vacation this week but working a couple of hours in preparation for an upcoming workshop that I must coordinate when I return. If I wasn’t already used to finding wireless hotspots, handling almost all communications by email and, occasionally, cell phone, and comfortable working alone, I would have a great deal more stress about accomplishing what needs to be done so that all is in order when I get back.

If employers get their employees used to telecommuting and comfortable with accomplishing their tasks away from the office desk, it will be easier for employees to handle, quickly and effectively, emergencies that may come up when they are away.

There’s a good interview on US News & World Report’s site about moms finding creative ways to work.  The interview is  with author Sharon Reed Abboud about her book “All Moms Work: Short-Term Career Strategies for Long-Range Success”.

I send invoices and for the most part, I get paid within a couple weeks. But it is critical to track invoices and follow up. Recently I called a client after four weeks to inquire about the status and he insisted he had mailed payment. A week later I followed up again and he admitted the invoice had gotten stashed under a pile of papers. A week after that phone call I finally received payment. While this can be a detriment to being self-employed it is more just something to consider by those taking on 1099-contractor positions. I, as the self-employed individual, have to be my own payroll, accounting, human resources and IT departments. Just a little something to think about.