MJ Fievre - Your Work from Home Life: Redefine, Reorganize and Reinvent Your Remote Work (Tips for Building a Home-Based Working Career)

Copyright 2020 M.J. Fievre

Cover Design: Roberto Nu ez

Interior Layout Design: Jermaine Lau

Published by Conari Press, an imprint of Mango Publishing, a division of Mango Media Inc.

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Your Work from Home Life : Redefine, Reorganize and Reinvent Your Remote Work

ISBN: (p) 978-1-64250-490-3 (e) 978-1-64250-491-0

BISAC: BUS097000, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Workplace Culture

LCCN: 2020951518

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Printed in the United States of America.

Table of Contents

Chapter 9 Dont Be Afraid to Ask for Help/
Expect the Unexpected

Technological advances have made it possible for more workers than ever to give up their long, frustrating commutes to nine-to-five jobs. Instead of languishing in crowded offices, employees can work from the comfort of their own homes. Not only are more employers offering their workers remote positions, more people are creating their own opportunities for nontraditional work. If you are reading this book, chances are you are one of the many people who have either shifted to a remote career or are considering it. Welcome to the world of telecommuting!

Whether you are already a remote employee, a freelancer, a consultant who is looking to boost productivity and troubleshoot distractions, or someone who dreams of giving up the daily grind for a career of their own design, Your Work From Home Life is the book you need to reorganize and redefine your career.

Whatever your aspirations for a work-at-home career, it is our hope that youll find this book fun and uplifting and that youll put to good use the checklists and templates we provide. Theyre meant to help you maintain your health and sanity by adding joy to your workday and help you take advantage of technology and platforms. In these pages, youll find tips and templates for home office setups, time and distraction management, discipline, and (a lot of) self-care. In addition to planning, budgeting, and so on, Your Work From Home Life focuses on ways to love yourself because working from home requires that you practice self-improvement and become centered.

This book will help you understand the pros and cons of working from home, learn to maintain strong bonds with your colleagues while redefining collegial camaraderie, clearly establish boundaries between home and work, avoid becoming overwhelmed and isolated, and learn how to handle an emergency or crisis. It will also allow you to help your managers by prioritizing and staying focused and on task in order to meet pressing deadlines and to research your competition, discover new ideas and skills, and provide value to your ideal customer.

The authors of this book have wisdom to spare in the work from home field. M.J. has many years of experience working in nontraditional and remote roles as an educator, writer, coach, translator, and entrepreneur. She currently works as an acquisitions editor for the fastest-growing publisher in the United States and serves as a project manager for a multifaceted corporation with a multinational consultant base that provides art, writing, and translation services to clients worldwide. In this book, she shares her decades-long experience in remote work, beginning with her work as a freelancer in Port-au-Prince, Miami, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, and eventually starting her own company.

Becca is a writer and editor who works from a home office in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is an expert in cultivating camaraderie, agility, and collaboration within her online team. In Your Work From Home Life , she shares powerful advice gleaned from professional experience. Originally from Ohio, Becca credits her first-grade teacher as a great inspiration and runs several popular online classes and workshops.

Whatever your circumstances, youll find nuggets of hard-earned wisdom in this book, along with hacks, how-tos, and advice from other teleworkers and experts.

We wish you prosperity in your work from home ventures!

M.J. Fievre and Becca Anderson

I. Know What Youre Signing Up For

II. Create Your Workspace

III. Know Your Peak Hours

IV. Understand the Basics of Planning and Scheduling

V. Set Boundaries Between Home and Work When Work Is at Home

VI. Stay Connected

VII. Practice Self-Care

VIII. Work on Your Career, Your Finances, and Yourself

IX. Know When to Ask for Help

X. Dont Forget about Gratitude

Chapter 1

While working from your couch sounds great in theory, its important to understand the pros and cons so you know how to best optimize your arrangement. A pro of working from home may be that you can lounge in your sweatpants and stretch out with no one to notice the cookie crumbs on your keyboard, but the temptation to tap the on button on the television remote can be distracting, and, come summertime, if the kids are home during the day, it can become a challenge to focus on anything above the din of temper tantrums and calls for your immediate attention. Working from home is no less challenging than working from an office. Its all work, after all. Keep the right mindsetknowing you may be putting in more effort than before.

Pros

True independenceyou learn to rely on self-motivation, self-discipline, focus, and concentration. You may also have the ability to work anywhere.

Flexible hours and increased productivityyou can get more work done, with the opportunity to learn new skills.

No commute, which translates to huge savings in time and reduced work-related expenses (including gas and expensive clothes). When you can avoid a lengthy commute by car, train, or bus, it enables you to start your workday earlier and more calmly.

A better work-life balance, with reduced stress and better health. Remote workers may have more time to incorporate physical exercise into their day.

Better communication skillsout of necessity, you become very savvy in texting, emailing, and web meetings.