ShareThisBy BEN GRABOW
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Not so long ago, a snow day meant freedom for young and old. These days, the office never closes.
Thanks to the miracles of modern technology, being stuck at home is no longer a good enough excuse to miss a work day. Company-issue laptops, remote-access networks, and web mail all help to bring the office to you when you can't go to the office.
In many ways, working from home can be more effective and productive than working in your cube. And in many ways, it can be much more distracting and difficult. Here, then, are some tips to make your day at home as efficient as it can be.
Like the office, your home is a world of distraction. Unlike the office, many of the distractions are fun. Rather than the chatty coworker who won't leave you alone, you have the silent television, staring you down with its single blank eye. Competing with the 300 unread emails in your inbox are 300 unwatched cable channels. And the Internet becomes infinitely more inviting, and distracting, without a supervisor over your shoulder.
Try, then, to avoid the entertainment centers of your home when getting work done. Of course, some distractions are unavoidable. It is wise, for example, to block your schedule off for a conference call from 11 to 12 Eastern Time. "The Price is Right" waits for no man.
Meanwhile, even the dull and otherwise-avoided household chores can become distractions of their own. The drive to fold laundry or wash dishes is difficult to ignore while working from home.
The obvious explanation is that you'd rather do anything but work. The real explanation is that when you finish drying the dishes, you have the satisfaction of looking at a pile of clean dishes _ whereas when you finish four hours of office work, you have only a new pile of work waiting for you.
Basically, it is essential to find the quietest, least distracting place in your home to set up shop. It should be a room with no television or video games, nowhere near the laundry or the fridge. There should be a door. You should feel as though you can shut that door and ignore all the worries in the world.
Once you begin working in the bathroom, you will quickly realize the value of a speakerphone. More specifically, you will realize the value of a speakerphone with a mute function. Not only will this allow you to take a teleconference in any room of the house, it will also protect you from one of the first rules of teleconferencing: The sound of a toilet flushing over speakerphone is unmistakable.
The eighth rule of teleconferencing is lesser known, and actually only applies to those who work from home. Remember that you are dialing in with a personal phone, and not a company phone. Especially when attending a two hour call with the New Delhi office.
Lastly, even when you have every faith in your laptop, Internet connection, and corporate network, remember to bring home your handwritten notes. Unfortunately, even in this tech-advanced age, we still have to kill a few trees to get our work done. Remember your legal pads and Post-Its when you pack up your computer, and ensure that those trees didn't die in vain.
Yes, with the right preparations, a day home from work can be more productive than two in the office. So pace yourself. They might just keep you home all the time.
(Ben Grabow writes for the young, the urban, and the easily amused. Contact him at thinlyread(at)gmail.com.)
