Working from home is a perk filled treat that many aspire towards. However for all the benefits and perks of working from home, there are also a few negatives to contend with. Most of these negatives have to do with managing the work and life balance aspect of having a small business via your home.
When you have an office and begin working from your home, the lines between work and play can get blurred. It’s important to find a way to keep the two separate and maintain balance. If not, you will lose sight of why you wanted to work from home in the first place.
But all is not lost, below we highlight three good tips on how to keep work from home boredom at bay.
1. Meet With Others Outside The Home
One of the best ways to fight off boredom from working solo at home is to join others outside the home. This could be in the form of a group, a Meet Up, a gym, a class and so on. The point is to attend an event where you could potentially meet and talk with others for an hour or two and ideally it’s a recurring event such as weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.
2. Join Fun Online Forums and Groups
If getting out of the home is not practical for you, then perhaps an online forum is a good choice for you. Luckily there are plenty to choose from in just about every conceivable niche known to man, and in many different formats. There might be a Facebook group for writers you might do well in, a Google Plus circle for photographers that is more to your liking. Look at forums, groups or niche membership sites and find one in a topic that you’re really interested in and would enjoy visiting on a regular basis.
3. Physical Fitness Is Not A Cliche
You’ve heard this one a gazillion times before, but that’s because it works and because it applies. Many times nothing can get you in a better mood or positive state of mind than a good walk, jog or run. Physical fitness could also come in the form of yoga, Pilates, aerobics, swimming, tennis – you get the idea. This one may come across as a cliche, but bottom line is that it works and it helps.
Next time work at home boredom starts to creep in, try one of our ideas above and you’ll be back to normal in no time. As with any routine, practice makes perfect and so does partnering with others in the same boat. Find other work at home business owners and keep each other sharp by setting up coffee shop meetings, becoming running or walking buddies and or calling each other once a week to dish on what’s new and hot in your respective businesses.
Missy writes for a banner stands company in the UK and loves to work at home writing. When she’s not dutifully writing for the web, she loves to visit her local Starbucks and loves to jog by the lakefront every day.
Thanks for letting me guest post, Michael. My guest piece looks great.
Cheers,
Missy
People get burned out from both sides of this problem. It is a balance, being alone you need to associate yourself with others in an active manner to lead a normal life. On the other hand, when your job is dealing with the public every day then you need that time alone that frees the brain from the people drain.
Yin – Yang, One is the other.
Hi, Ray:
I agree. Those who work from home seek the camaraderie of others and those who work with people (all the time) tend to want some alone time.
It most certainly is a yin yang type thing. Lol.
Thanks for commenting.
Cheers,
Missy
Good post, Missy. I try to schedule entertainment breaks during the work hours to wake me out of the accumulated boredom of a few hours of working. Apart from that, I also follow your advice of joining online forums and groups. Partaking in discussions and debates makes up for a lot of the lack of face-to-face interaction of working from home.
-Jean
This is an excellent post.
I would say that at least 1 and 3 are also important for anyone, regardless of whether you work at home or not.
Obviously the need to socialise will not be as important if you work with people, but how fun would life be if your only social interaction was at work? Even if you only socialise with the same PEOPLE from work, doing so in a more leisurely manner is important, I think.
Everyone knows the long-term benefits of exercise, but I find that even in the short-term it can feel really good. I know that after I’ve gone running in the morning, I feel much better throughout the day than I otherwise would. I also really like your points, Missy, about the potential for social aspects in exercise.
These are great tips. It can be really hard when you work at home. I find I keep my laptop on all day and continue working even at night. I do also try and get out, but I find the only thing I really get out and do is go out to lunch, I just moved and it is hard to meet new people when you work at home.
Thank you for posting these tips. I was actually dreading this afternoon’s hopelessly boring routine. I have been doing this for 12 years. Here are some more tips I have used over the years.
1) 4 o’clock is the new 5 o’clock happy hour. Embrace this. Hell make it 3 just to keep things interesting.
2) If possible, keep the TV tuned into one of the major cable news channels. When a different segment and personality comes on air, salute them and call them by first name enthusiastically. Remember no one is watching. Don’t like cable news? Give VH1 a good week or two.
3) Spotify is your friend.
4) develop you online gaming skills. Trackmania United is the best racing game out there and is sure to keep your creative juices flowing.
Anyway, just a little humor.
One thing about comadre is whenever I get to see my counterparts from across the country, it is like have found the promised land and can’t get enough of each others stories.