There can be many benefits for someone who works from home. Working from the comfort of your home allows you the freedom and flexibility to blend your business schedule with your personal schedule. It also helps you save money because you are not paying for transportation or parking.
On the flip side, there can also be one big disadvantage. It is commonly referred to as the isolation factor.
Whether this truly is a disadvantage for you or not will most likely depend on your personality type, as well as your previous work experiences.
Feeling isolated and restless is like having cabin fever. If you are home alone each day and start to feel like you have cabin fever while you are working at home, then you may wish to consider some of the following ideas.
Book Regular Lunch Dates With Friends
Perhaps you can get in touch with some people that you use to enjoy working with at a previous job. Or maybe you have some local friends that also work from home. Depending on your schedule, you may suggest a weekly get together or a monthly get together.
Attend Online Webinars That Pertain To Your Business
Even though you do not necessarily see the other participants, you will most likely have a chance at the end of the webinar to interact with the Instructor and the other participants that are online.
You might also meet someone during the webinar that you feel you would like to speak to offline about a business idea or venture, or something else that you have in common.
Join a Mastermind Group That Meets On A Weekly Basis
Joining a mastermind group provides you with two excellent benefits.
The first one is the socialization aspect of getting together and speaking with other people face to face.
The second is the benefit to your business.
During these meetings you can exchange business ideas, learn new ways of doing things, learn about other businesses, and support one another.
Meet With Business Owners That You Could Potentially Create A Joint Venture With
In between your weekly mastermind meetings phone some of the people that you were speaking with and suggest that just two or three of you get together for coffee or lunch.
This will allow you to get to know one another, and also to see if there are some aspects of your business that you could collaborate on.
Join A Walking Or Hiking Club That Gets Together On A Regular Basis
You can either create your own club with friends and neighbours or you can look on the Internet or in your newspaper for clubs in your local area. This is a great opportunity to get away from your business and take in the local sites while getting some fresh air.
Go to the Gym And Workout Or Join An Exercise Class 3 Or 4 Times A Week
You can go with a friend or you can go alone. You most likely will not feel alone because of all the other people there. I find that there is more interaction amongst people when you participate in a class versus walking on a treadmill.
Grab Your Laptop And Hang Out At Your Local Coffee Shop For A Few Hours
Sometimes when I go to Starbucks I see one or two people sitting in the corner working away on their laptop.
In the summer they move outside to the front of the coffee shop. It is much easier to work from remote locations with wireless access being offered in so many locations these days.
Even though the people working on their laptops are not necessarily involved with other people in the coffee shop, they still feel the energy around them.
Attend Conferences
Attend business conferences and trade shows that relate to the type of work that you are doing. Some that come to mind are BlogWorld which is being held in NYC in June, NAMS (Niche Affiliate Marketing Workshop) which is a weekend event that happens twice a year in Atlanta, and the International Consumer Electronics Show that takes place in Las Vegas.
