Working From Home For The First Time

Obviously there is a lot of scrambling today for having people work from home to help reduce the spread of the Wuhan Coronavirus (COVID-19) within the US. I won't be going into anything about the virus...and would like to concentrate on work-at-home issues.

Immediate "MIND" Preparation

First, don't freak out.  Don't think you are alone.  And don't try to do everything or do it by yourself.  Remember that there are a ton of people in the same situation.  

You WILL have to learn new ways of doing some of what you did before, such as in-person meetings, informal "side" conversations and similar on-site activities.  That's okay.  Everyone is in the same situation and will be learning with you.

Key Is Communication

Probably one of the biggest issues that new at-home-workers have is the loss of the informal in-person communication channels.  For that, ensure that you make an effort to re-create those channels using different means.  For example, there are great tools that can be used to maintain communication with groups, such as Slack, Teams, Private Facebook Groups, Linked In Groups and many others.  Your employer may already have some of these in place, but were under or not utilized previously.  If that's the case, tap into those and start to use them.  But as a group, pick one or two that you will use so that everyone is using the same tool.

Communication Pitfalls

For communication, also remember this:  Sometimes those informal communications that you had in the workplace are the kind you simply don't want permanently maintained. For those communications...use the phone.  Period.

Don't use public social media for business-related items.  It is too easy for these types of communications to "slip out" into the public.  Keep all critical business conversations on secure communication channels, such as Slack or Teams software.  

As mentioned before, you can wind up using too many different communication tools, resulting in bad communication.  Get together with your team and select ONE communication channel for all primary and important communication, then stick with it.

Be Flexible

Understand that everything is "in process" and there will be changes to what you do as you work from home for a longer period of time.  Don't be rigid in what you do.  Being flexible and adaptable is ideal for getting things done and reducing your stress. 

Free Software Solutions

There is a lot of free software that you can use in your business, that perhaps you had not considered before.  This is a good way of trying them out, learning a new way of communicating and then also becoming familiar with these tools for ... potentially your own benefit in the future (read the last section of this post...)

Some software that you may consider:

FreeConferenceCall.com  is good for ... conference calls.  (lots of features)

Tech Smith (https://discover.techsmith.com/remote-techsmith/ ) is providing their software free for a couple of months for those new to this situation, to allow them to see if it's right for them.

Canva.com  This is a great program for on-line graphic creation.

Trello ....collaboration

Many, many others

(Note: This is not an endorsement for just these products.  I know of them, that's why I list them, but there are a TON of other great programs that you can use...)

Join A Support Group

Note: On the Facebook group...there is a place for people to share resources, software solutions and other helpful hints.

Join this new FaceBook Group to get support, talk to others, share ideas, problems and solutions, and perhaps learn a bit more about working from home.

OMG! I Am Working From Home!

The Silver Lining Of Forced Home Work

Although many people have been FORCED into a work-at-home situation, it's a great time and opportunity to review your own life goals and objectives. If you think it's not for you, consider this:  Many PHYSICIANS and other professionals (who other people think are the epitome of job security and income) are looking at alternative means of diversifying or replacing their current positions.  YES, physicians see the value of creating additional and diversified sources of income, especially with the creation of lifestyles or retirements of their dreams.  YOU can too.

Would working at home as a choice in the future be something that would interest you?  Is this a good time to "dust off" those desires that you have or had in the past?  

Some thoughts include:

• Creating an independent lifestyle
• Reducing dependence on an "employer" (Small business IS the new security)
• Working on what you want, not on what is given to you
• Flexible hours and location
• Ability to create an income "annuity" that pay based on value, not hours
• Creation of a business that can be:
  • A "side gig" that supplements what you current earn
  • A "growing gig" that you work to replace what you currently are doing
  • A "retirement gig" that allows you maximal flexibility with continued income
  • A "Your desire here" gig, that is designed on your desires and dreams
• Diversification of income streams for financial security
• FUN doing something else that you always wanted to do

You are Experiencing It Already

If you are working from home by force, take the time to experience it and take it all in, the good and the bad.  But look at this experience in a new light and see if this is what you may have been looking for in your future. 

Part of the problem that many people have is that they don't know how to make their dreams and aspirations into reality. Because of that, they don't know what steps they need to take. What resources to assemble.  How to commit to that change. How to initiate and complete their plan.  How to learn from their successes ... and failures.

If this sounds interesting to you, let me know at www.FallForward.io  .