Re: Need working-at-home advice

[John Posada <jposada01 -at- YAHOO -dot- COM>]

Bob.

Untill recently, I either worked at home 5 days a week
or was able to telecommute when I wanted, so I can
address your questions from my standpoint.
>
> How do you stay away from the refrigerator and TV?

Refrig...I realized I couldn't stay away, so I just
made sure that it was stocked with OK stuff...fresh
strawberries and watermellon, cans of V8, diet soda,
sugarless popsicles, baked chicken breasts, etc. No
leftovers.

I also belonged to a health club that I would go to
every other lunch time or morning before I started,
tying in the trip to the Post Office, Mail Box Etc.,
Kinkos, Staples/Office Max, etc.

TV...My TV is situated so that I can see it in the
other room while I work just by looking over the top
of the monitor. I keep something like CNBC (if the
stock market is having a good day) or ESPN (if the
market is having a bad day) on in the background,
something that is the same format most if the day.
After awhile, it becomes possible to continue working,
yet lift my eyes up once in a while to see what's
going on.

Besides, there is nothing wrong with taking a break
once in a while...you don't at work? If you happen to
like Woody Woodpecker cartoons and they come on at
3-3:30, so what? The idea is to meet committments, not
"just work".

Understand that you are in the true definition of
Flex-time. If you want to go to the beach in the
morning, so what? After dinner, you go back to "the
office" and put in the hours you missed in the
morning. Take your kids to school, enjoy it. Just meet
your committments.

>
> Does your boss expect more (or less) output?

More or less output isn't the issue. At work, you are
supposed to meet deadlines. Some days at work you
write 3 words, other days you write many pages. Same
as home. The goal is to meet your committments
regardless of where you are.

>
> My contacts with SMEs are now mostly by phone or
> e-mail,
> but I wonder if they will work with me the same
> knowing
> that I am at home.

Depends on whether they see a difference in dealing
with you. If you do what you've always done, then why
should they change, unless you give the "vibe" that
you KNOW things have changed, then they will.
>
> I expect to be doing a lot of editing. I've always
> preferred
> to edit hard copy and wonder if screen editing is
> practical.

Get a home printer and edit the same way.

>
> Do your co-workers treat you any differently?

Only this...I found that if you string too many
out-of-office days together, they start to forget you
exist, you don't hear what's going on in ther company,
they start to forget to include you in the memo
distribution lists, etc.  I might make it a point to
not string more than 2 or 3 days together out of the
office.


===
John Posada
Western Union International
(w) jposada -at- westernunion -dot- com
(p) john -at- tdandw -dot- com
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