by Nicole Long

Created on: March 03, 2009

What a life. You only have to get a shower in the morning if you feel like it, you can stay in your pajamas all day, you rarely have to fill the gas tank up again! This is only part of the life of a telecommuter, and it is short lived. The benefits of working from home are certainly great in some aspects. You save 2 hours a day likely not driving to and from work, maybe more in some cities. You can make your own lunch at home, that will certainly save some money over time. You don't have to invest in nice suits and clothes. Just more sweatpants and sweatshirts. That is the starting wardrobe of any successful telecommuter.

As time goes by you start to realize some of those benefits may not all be benefits after all. You start thinking "I have to make my lunch again today?", along with the fact that after a while you miss putting on a fitted pair of pants and a nice shirt. You'll never miss filling up the gas tank so that will always be a positive! The walls start closing in on you around the 6 month honeymoon phase. You realize you haven't left them for over a week, in the winter it's really bad, and you are getting really tired of no social interaction.

The main problem with telecommuting is lack of planning and distraction. You must have a structured business day, or at least as structured as possible. With a typical desk job this isn't too difficult, as you are required to be there at certain times of the day. However, you will start to notice yourself going by the dishes and doing them on your lunch or throwing a load of laundry in as you pass the laundry room. These are just a few of the distractions. If your spouse or kids happen to be home, make sure they understand that unless of an emergency, you are to be left alone. You are after all at work. On the other side of that, please allow yourself to be off work. After you finish for the day, be done. It will be there tomorrow. Your family and friends deserve to have a part of you left for them.

Lack of social interaction is another common telecommuting problem. Make sure you stay in touch with your fellow peers as much as you can. Go into the office to work, if possible, every once in a while. Meet fellow telecommuters out for lunch instead of sitting at home. Make plans to go out with family and friends. Even if all you do is leave to pick up a paper, try to get out as often as possible. The walls really do start to close in on you after a while. Get out and take a walk at the end of the day. Exercise is a great way to be social and lift your mood.

I urge any future telecommuters to really take some time to decide if it's for you. I myself am pretty happy when left alone and away from crowds. So my experience of some of the above was somewhat shocking to even myself. Make sure you stick to a regimen and stay social in order to stay sane. Once you've committed to telecommuting and established some ground rules, it's very rewarding.

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