Working alone and loneliness

[Pred]

walking the dog is good

spanking the monkey helps pass the time too
so Frank tells me

 

[domainseller200]

Great thread ! keep the posts coming

 

[retired_member36]

Ive worked from home for some time now, and hate it. I have a contract with a large firm but its all home based, never any face to face contact, once a week there is a team meeting via skype but thats it. I love going out between just to get out the house.

Id love to get another job but to be honest, i feel ive lost the confidence and probs skills to tackle an interview. I was hoping to make some big changes career wise this year but so far have not.

Prior to the job i do now, i was a housing officer for the local council which allowed me to have face to face contact with tenants on a daily basis, so its been a big change for me. At first i thought it was great, but that soon wears off !

Sorry for the moan

 

[Edwin]

For company, I have an A4 piece of paper next to the the PC and the cat curls up on that for most of the time.

I don't have a cat, but I'll have to try your tip about the piece of paper sometime

 

[Systreg]

Edwin, take your piece of paper and make a cat

 

[The Ferryman]

I don't have a cat, but I do have an A4 sheet of paper next my computer, and every cat in the neighbourhood comes and craps in my garden.
Didn't realise what was attracting them until now!
Regards
Bruce

 

[Pred]

I have kind of progressed from that now Guy since you recommended this instead

LINK NSFW !

'out of stock' lol

I've sent link to my ex, told her to put on my christmas list

 

[websaway]

I would guess that many Acorners (like me) work alone.

This can be an extremely lonely work environment (and is currently getting me down).

Perhaps you would be kind enough to post your tips on beating loneliness for people working alone in this thread. Thank you.

I think you have to ask yourself is it "working alone" that's getting you down
don't forget working with others can equally get you down.
Write on a piece of paper the good things about the way you work and the bad things and then just concentrate on the good things.

 

[noonoo1]

Id love to get another job but to be honest, i feel ive lost the confidence and probs skills to tackle an interview. I was hoping to make some big changes career wise this year but so far have not.

Guy, you can come and cut my grass and trim a few of my bushes.

The downside its minimum wage. :smile:

 

[Pred]

The downside its minimum wage. :smile:

you forgot to mention Nige you would be taking him on as an apprentice

and deducting money for accommodation as he will be sleeping in the shed .

so he will owe YOU money

 

[noonoo1]

Pred I was on about you lol

 

[DannyB]

I have kind of progressed from that now Guy since you recommended this instead

LINK NSFW !

Bet that sites visits have gone through the roof

 

[Pred]

Pred I was on about you lol

you quoting suggs post threw me lol

 

[IrnMary]

The other thing I'd add is that, if you're working for yourself (rather than on the clock for an employer) there's no "rule" that you need to work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, from 9 to 5!

Everyone is different. If you find you're at your most productive by working a concentrated dawn-to-dusk 12 hour day a couple of times a week, then why not bow to that discovery, and treat the rest of the week as days off. Equally, you could find that a couple of hours of work a day in the morning and again at night, 7 days a week, lets you get more done...

You may even find that it doesn't take very long at all to achieve what you want to do, so long as you hit the times when you're able to put in 100% maximum concentration and effort. Basically, experiment to find your personal "sweet spots" then work to whatever pattern fits you best, for exactly as long as necessary and no longer.

The biggest problem that you'll have to work to overcome is the nagging feeling of "guilt" that you're not getting "a full day's work done" which is reinforced by society at large. Once you're over that hump, you can enjoy your week and slot in your work as needed rather than feel you have to sit at your PC all day "filling the hours" just because that's what folks out in the real world do!

I'd agree with pretty much everything in that. Although every now and then I like to mix things up as I find it can it can get boring being stuck in the same routine.

Getting outside for a few hours (3+) everday certainly helps, it's no good being holed up in the same place for too long.

 

[Sussexite]

Thank you everyone for your generously helpful ideas.

I thought I'd wrap up this post by summarising all the good suggestions made.

WHERE YOU WORK
Find a virtual office
Find co-working events near you
Work in an office with other people whenever you can
Sign up for conferences
Use Skype video calls
Join local networking groups

THE WORK DAY
Take breaks
Go outdoors, even for a tea break
Exercise (gym, running, dog walking)
Don't do too much work that's too repetitive
Change your routine
Structure your day
Don't feel you have to work 9-5 or set hours
Turn off your laptop or iPad at the end of the day
Write a list of tasks for tomorrow to close the working day

HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT WORK
Do work you have a passion for (not just for money)
Don't feel guilty about what you have and haven't done

YOUR WORK ENVIRONMENT
Sit with natural sunlight
Get a Light Box or SAD Lamp
Listen to the radio
Have a pet (cat, dog, chickens, piece of A4)

OUTSIDE WORK
Have an active social life at weekends
Join a non-proft organisation or work at a charity shop
Avoid coffee
Eat well

FOR THE RECORD
There was also a tangential discussion about sex toys and I believe Pred recommended Spanking the Dog and Walking the Monkey at one point.

 

[Edwin]

Apart from the tangent, sounds like this thread has turned up a real collective "blueprint" for surviving and thriving in the work-at-home environment. Perhaps it should be made a sticky "super" thread?

 

[domainseller200]

Apart from the tangent, sounds like this thread has turned up a real collective "blueprint" for surviving and thriving in the work-at-home environment. Perhaps it should be made a sticky "super" thread?

Totally agree - perhaps remove my own post and some of the other silly comments too as this thread has turned into a great reading resource.

 

[Edwin]

Totally agree - perhaps remove my own post and some of the other silly comments too as this thread has turned into a great reading resource.

Yeah, they were fun (and I've got at least one "silly" to be pruned too) but, thinned down to the good stuff, this thread is gold.

 

[Bailey]

Alternatively give the PC a name and hold a conversation with it when you are bored

All my desktop arrangements have been called 'Edgar' since I don't know when. I used to love it when my wife Sue got out of bed at 2 in the morning to tell Edgar off for keeping my up half the night. Never me - just my mate Edgar

 

[Paullas]

Perhaps it should be made a sticky "super" thread?

made sticky, good idea.