For all of you telecommuter wannabes (and given today’s economy, who wouldn’t want to work from home?), Rick Telberg has some great advice.
In “The top five essentials for working from home,” Telberg, who runs the superb CPA Trendlines blog, says you shouldn’t consider telecommuting without the following:
- The right attitude and self-discipline.
- The right technology set-up.
- A quiet, dedicated workplace.
- Experience and maturity.
- Good communications with co-workers and clients.
That’s a great start, and to expand on Rick’s list, I would add the following:
- No. 3 above is particularly important. If you’re working in the kitchen or the living room, it won’t be long before it feels like the kitchen or living room. The mind will wander. You’ll pick up the remote or grab a snack, or (worse still) kick back on the couch for a short rest. And once you do that, it’s over. Pick one room in the house and turn it into your office. Then, use it only as an office. Start the day in there and (within reason) don’t leave until 5. Trust me, you’ll get a ton of work done. And you’ll love the tax deduction.
- Make sure your technology includes a laptop and a wireless network card, so you can keep working through those inevitable, inconvenient power outages.
- Find yourself a network of reliable colleagues who can help you out when the power outages are more than just inconvenient. Our association is based in Maryland, but I work from my home in St. Louis. A couple of years ago, a wicked ice storm left us without power for the better part of a week. After that, I connected with the folks at the Missouri Society of CPAs, and they graciously offered to let me work from their offices if a storm like that ever blows through again — a certainty, given Midwest weather. Thanks, guys!
- Find the self-discipline to know when to stop working, too. When your home is your office, it’s awfully tempting to stay plugged in and work around the clock. Don’t do it. Punch out at a reasonable time and keep some time for yourself and your family.
Do you work from home? If so, what did Rick and I miss? What are your can’t-live-without telecommuting tools?