Telecommuting

[Cya at 8 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Cya at 8]

Anyone here telecommute? I'm starting it in 3 weeks and was wondering what other people who do it, think about it.

[Ravenously Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ravenously]

I know some people that do. It has it's advantages and disadvantages.

If you are a self directed worker it's not so bad.
It blurs the lines between work time and free time.

[WalrusGumBoot Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close WalrusGumBoot]

Cya,

I have been a successful telecommuter since 1997 as an independent software developer. Here are some do's and don'ts.

• Do have your own space, preferably with a door.. that you keep shut. Besides the privacy, there is also an easily measurable work place in case you have to calculate home office deductions for tax purposes.
• Do maintain grooming habits. Take a shower, shave, etc. You can dress down a bit, but don't wear that t-shirt from last night with the pizza stain. Believe it or not, all this has a bearing on your work.
• Do have discipline. Get up at the same time (not at noon) and get done at the same time. Don't shortchange your employer because they will find out eventually one way or another.
• Do take breaks. Yes, you can take a shit break on the clock. You don't track time in the toilet at work, do you? For a while, keep thinking about whether what you want to do would be allowed at the work place. Playing Farmville for an hour won't fly, but surfing the web for 5 minutes to find a nice place for dinner would be fine. After a while, you will get a good feel and you won't think twice about it.
• Don't be of service to anybody. If you live with your GF or wife, tell her she needs to kill that spider by herself, or during an established break. If she is respectful of what you are doing, she will comply. If she is needy, selfish thing, like my ex-wife, as soon as you kill that spider, you opened up Pandora's box and soon you will find yourself having to be an S.O.B. to her to respect your work boundaries. You don't want to go there so it's best to nip it in the bud right from the start.
• Don't eat outside of normal meals. I know the fridge knows your name and knows you are in the house all day, but there is no reason to obey, otherwise in 3 months you will have a gut.
• Do be more productive at home than in the workplace. You do not have a commute time anymore, so use the time to do some reading, exercising, or other personal development. You can also use that time to catch up on some projects and ensure that they will continue to let you work at home.
• Finally, Don't become invisible! I cannot stress this enough. You do not want to become a casualty of "out of sight, out of mind". Be in daily contact with co-workers by email and/or phone. Let them know you are there every day, all day.

I hope this helps!

[SuperDude Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close SuperDude]

Great Points Walrus.

[Cya at 8 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Cya at 8]

Cya,

I have been a successful telecommuter since 1997 as an independent software developer. Here are some do's and don'ts.

• Do have your own space, preferably with a door.. that you keep shut. Besides the privacy, there is also an easily measurable work place in case you have to calculate home office deductions for tax purposes.
• Do maintain grooming habits. Take a shower, shave, etc. You can dress down a bit, but don't wear that t-shirt from last night with the pizza stain. Believe it or not, all this has a bearing on your work.
• Do have discipline. Get up at the same time (not at noon) and get done at the same time. Don't shortchange your employer because they will find out eventually one way or another.
• Do take breaks. Yes, you can take a shit break on the clock. You don't track time in the toilet at work, do you? For a while, keep thinking about whether what you want to do would be allowed at the work place. Playing Farmville for an hour won't fly, but surfing the web for 5 minutes to find a nice place for dinner would be fine. After a while, you will get a good feel and you won't think twice about it.
• Don't be of service to anybody. If you live with your GF or wife, tell her she needs to kill that spider by herself, or during an established break. If she is respectful of what you are doing, she will comply. If she is needy, selfish thing, like my ex-wife, as soon as you kill that spider, you opened up Pandora's box and soon you will find yourself having to be an S.O.B. to her to respect your work boundaries. You don't want to go there so it's best to nip it in the bud right from the start.
• Don't eat outside of normal meals. I know the fridge knows your name and knows you are in the house all day, but there is no reason to obey, otherwise in 3 months you will have a gut.
• Do be more productive at home than in the workplace. You do not have a commute time anymore, so use the time to do some reading, exercising, or other personal development. You can also use that time to catch up on some projects and ensure that they will continue to let you work at home.
• Finally, Don't become invisible! I cannot stress this enough. You do not want to become a casualty of "out of sight, out of mind". Be in daily contact with co-workers by email and/or phone. Let them know you are there every day, all day.

I hope this helps!

Wow thanks, very nice post.

[Ravenously Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ravenously]

Fantastic advice