I had a run-in with them last night. Gave a talk about changes at my museum and BAM! who should be in the audience but a group of them. The FFV. First Families of Virginia. A little daunting to talk about them when they're right there. Guess I'll need to get used to it. I'm surrounded by them now.Anyway, I am doing my first working from home morning today before I head off on a field trip with a neighboring house museum curator to visit Gunston Hall and their curator. A day of curator fun. I love getting together with my kind. They just understand me and the language I speak. My regular friends pretend to listen but then get that sort of 'I think you're a little crazy and I have no idea what you're getting so worked up about' look as they glaze over.
This working from home thing is hopefully going to become a regular thing. I'm thinking once a week to allow me some quiet time for research and writing. I think my boss is on board with it. Plus, for me, it saves me mondo gas money from not having to trek almost 90 miles to and from work one day per week. Any words from the wise? Any hints on what to do or not do to make working from home enjoyable and efficient?
7 comments:
I'm jealous. Have fun at Gunston!
Working from home is smart! And the way to ensure that you can do it for the long haul is to prove to your work that you are MORE productive at home. It takes a lot of discipline to block off the same amount of quiet time at home and not use the time to run errands, oversleep, or veg. To the extent that your work may try to reach out to you while you are working at home, be sure to be SUPER responsive. We're talking responding within 5 minutes -- or else they'll worry that you are just out having fun.
Good luck!!
I agree with Einat! Good advice! Even if I AM out doing an errand, I am glued to my Blackberry to make sure that I am still responsive. And I find that sticking to my usual schedule (showering, getting dressed - in real clothes, not pjs!) makes me a bit more disciplined and puts me more in "work mode." And lastly, TV off. Even though I like to have CNN on for background noise, it is just too tempting to spend a few minutes on the couch watching a story, which then turns into 30 minutes, and then I feel guilty.
Good luck! I hope it becomes a habit - the gas savings alone will be worth it! :-)
Well, today was not a great test for me as I was only in the house working from 9 to 11:30 or so. After Labor Day I hope to go to one day a week. Sadly I don't have a Blackberry so will try to stick to staying at home (other than around lunchtime). I'll report back. Thanks for the good advice!
I dunno, I just started my new job working from home myself... I think I will take Einat's advice as well!
I find having a set up similar to work - with printer, phone, etc. makes it easier (but I'm on a lot of calls). I'm also free with my cell phone number and encourage associates/partners to call me on it so it is clear I am available. I worked from home quite a bit toward the end of my pregnancy and had my secretary forward me calls and changed my VM to have people call me at home.
Ha Ha!
You are surrounded by FFV. And this time they're *my* FFV. :)
I actually think the APVA branch you spoke with is a pretty good group. They are more active in local preservation issues than most and they have *ahem ahem* great taste in speakers. I hear they had a chick in to speak about the Marshall silver some time back, too. Interesting.
Anyway, I occasionally work from home myself (although being less than 10 miles from work, there is less of a push). The key for me is to really plan for the day and have something to focus on. When I'm in the office things appear to keep me busy, but if you're going to focus at home you really need a discrete project to work on. Have fun, though, there's nothing like working in your pjs!
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