All by Myself: 5 Steps to Beat the Work from Home Blues

From August through the beginning of January my husband was working out of town and away from home during the week. I have never really known what being alone meant until then. Being lonely sucks. The feeling is magnified when you work from home too. I never realized how much having someone come home at 5:00 to be ready for really shaped my day before. In the absence of Mr. Donogh’s return I would work from when I woke up in the morning until I went to bed… alone. Not a healthy way to live.

Thank goodness that is over! So, in the spirit of Inc. Magazine going virtual for February and after reading the fabulous ladies at SearchMarketMe’s blog post I wanted to share what I learned over those months on how not to go absolutely insane with loneliness when you are a SOHO business mover and shaker.

1. Pity Party
   None of your friends ‘get’ that working from home isn’t always super fun? If watching years of Chick Flicks has taught me anything, it is that you must take a moment to own your feelings. If you feel really bad for yourself crank up Celine Dion á la Bridget Jones style. Let yourself be down for a few minutes and then work on getting over it.

2. Pack up and move out
   Now that you are done feeling sorry for yourself embrace how awesome it is to be able to work from where you want, when you want. If you haven’t purchased a briefcase, bookbag, or backpack yet as your mobile office, do so. Put all of your essential work items in there including: notepad, laptop, water bottle, Blackberry or iPhone, power adapter, head phones, glasses, a book, pens and highlighters, and any project notes you may need. Head to a free wifi center to get to work. Most coffee shops offer it, some bars do now and even parks.
3. Place calls
   I live out in the middle of no where. If I am heading out of the home to work I like to let friends and colleagues know that I will be in their area and invite them out for lunch, coffee, or a happy hour to catch up. Being around people, especially ones you really enjoy is an instant mood lifter. Short on friends with flexible schedules? Find a networking group in your area to hit up that is around the area you will be working on to form new relationships. You might even find someone who can relate to your lifestyle there!
4. Pursue hobbies
   Some days you really just need to work from home and truly enjoy what a quiet house can do for your productivity. However, it’s still a good idea to shed your hermit persona and experience a different environment at some point in your day. When ever I got too stir crazy I left to go to the gym- didn’t matter what time of day it was. I grabbed my iPhone and answered emails from the treadmill if I needed to. I also loved going to dance classes where I could be surrounded by other people my age with the same interests, even if we didn’t share water cooler stories in common.
5. Plan out your time
   Another excuse I had for why I was in the house literally all day in front of my monitor was that I just had too much to get done. Some days that is a legitimate reason when you are a business owner. Looking back now a lot of that happened because my calendar was wide open for the day and without a break in the day created by my husband returning home, I had all day to get tasks done.  When I plan out my day creating a beginning and an end to tasks or my work day in general, I have to get things accomplished more efficiently.

I really am incredibly fortunate to not have to deal with a commute everyday or be forced to work side by side with people I detest. When you work from home it’s important to be self-aware and act quickly- just like in your business- when dealing with some of it’s downsides.