Running a business, and indeed working, from home has become more common in recent years, and almost ubiquitous in 2020 thanks to the rise of coronavirus and all that entails, and although it can be a great way to work, it is not without its challenges.
If you’re currently running your business from home or even working from the backroom temporarily, here are some of the summon work from home issues you may be facing, and what you can do about them:
Always being on
This is more of a problem for work than home business owners than salaried staff, but it does apply to both. When you’re working from home, you don’t ever leave the workplace, which means that it can be all too easy to fall into the trap of working 24/7. You may even think it’s a good idea to be always on because you’ll get more done, but what actually happens is you get more burnt out and less effective as time goes on.
What’s the solution? Choose one room to work in and simply leave it and all of your equipment at the end of the day. If this isn’t possible, invest in a screen and use that to hide away your workstation. Turn off your phone and computer and just relax – the work will still be there in the morning.
Noise
Whether it’s the noise of your family and/or neighbours that’s bothering you or your neighbours who are complaining about the noise at your end, this is undoubtedly one of the worst things about working from home, Luckily, it’s pretty easy to solve the noise issue.
What’s the solution? If it’s you being bothered by noise, a good set of earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones will be a godsend. If you can’t practically use either, agree on some ground rules with the family on when it’s acceptable to play noisy games or music and when you need quiet time. It won’t be perfect, but it will help.
If your neighbours are complaining about the noise of your day-to-day business dealings, using a device like Minut that measures sound levels is a good way to gauge when and how the noise is happening so you can do your best to mitigate against them, Again, it may not be a perfect solution but it will help you all to get along better.
Feeling isolated
Feeling isolated is a big problem for a lot of home business owners and remote workers. It’s only natural to feel down when you can’t chat top your colleagues like you used to or head to the nearest cafe for a drink and a break in a bustling environment.
What’s the solution? Remote get-togethers using apps like Skype and Zoom can really help to keep you connected and feeling part of the team. Schedule them regularly and you’re sure to feel less alone.
Working from home, running your own business, dealing with family and rarely seeing anyone from outside can be tough, but you can make it easier on yourself so what’s stopping you?
Nb. Collaborative post.
Leave a Comment