New Job

[edub20]

I start a new job within my current company as a Senior Analyst in our Cyber Security Response team in a week. I'll be working from home 100% of the time and was curious if anyone else who works from home has any advice or guidance...

I know with all of the distractions at home it could potentially pose some challenges with focus and what knot.

[mfalkner]

That is the challenge. That, and if you're going to be on the phone with clients or superiors, making sure that the baby isn't crying or the dog barking or Oprah in the background....

I did this for a while and while I'm usually quite focused in the office, it was a challenge to stay on task and not take "just a minute" to tend to something domestic/fun.

But, it frees up a lot of wasted commute time. Hopefully you'll have opportunities to stay in contact with coworkers as a person, not just a web ID.

[edub20]

I work for a global company where IT is very spread out across North America so most of our meetings are web based with web cams and such. Usually once a year we'll all meet up in Cle, OH and have a meeting and cut loose. The kids and wife won't be a problem as they'll either be in preschool or 1st grade during the day and wife will be at work as well. I will be able to pull my son out of after school and save $250/mo there so that's a plus as well as the gas savings and no more paying for home internet.

[pondman]

I work from home, but I also travel a fair bit. My home office is B'ham and usually spend a 4-5 days a month there. With B'ham and other trips I am on the road maybe 8 nights a month. More than some, less than others.

Very quickly you will realize how much more productive you can be at home rather than in an office environment. The other nice thing is that you can work whenever. If junior rolls in and says "lets go to the cages and hit", it easy to do that if your task load is not dependent on communicating with others that are on an 8-5 schedule. That being said its easy to lose focus and jump on a non-work related project. As for background noise, summers can be a pain in the butt. Young kids don't always get the importance of not trying to kill each other while daddy is on the phone.

I try to make a list of things I want to accomplish for the month, week and day. It helps me stay on track.

Pond

[brake man]

edub20,

Congrats on the new job and the opportunity to work from home. I started a new job back in May and work from home, as well, when I am not traveling. I had several concerns similar to yours and was not quite sure how successful this arrangement would be. Below are a few pointers I have picked up the past few months, with some given by friends and their wives when they heard of my new job and working at home:
- Set up boundaries with your wife and family about your being in "work mode" during certain hours. Ask them and friends who may also work from home to respect this time and not interrupt unless necessary.
- My set up is a small home office back in the back part of the house in a converted/expanded garage. I can shut the door to get some privacy but it can also get a little loud with kids coming in and out when they are home. I have been pleasantly surprised and pleased how well our kids have been quiet and have not come down the stairs yelling for me during work hours.
- If your wife does not work outside the home, then she already has the house running in a certain way with things in a rhythm. Don't mess with that, even if you think you have it all figured out. It ain't broke, so don't try to fix it.
- If your wife is home, then don't expect her to fix you breakfast, lunch, a snack, etc. and don't try to be Mr. Frisky during work hours. Stay focused on work and take care of yourself. If other considerations are offered, then by all means partake.
- Get your home office set up so you can easily access everything you need and so you have the printer, separate phone line/phone, office supplies, etc. you need and in an organized manner. Consider where you locate your desk (if you have an office) and what is behind it as that is what others will see on a conference call.
- Personalize your space as much as you like since this is home. No need to worry about corporate regs so make it a cool place to work.
- Arrange to have lunch and/or breakfast at least once a week with someone away from home. You'll need a sanity break.
- Our older son told me he likes this working from home arrangement (even though I now travel a good bit) as "when you're home, you're home" and they get to see me more after they get home from school. It has been great to see the kids when they get home, especially if they stop into my office a get a hug or two.
- Probably one of the best things that has happened yet was my wife buying me a set of Bose Quiet Comfort 15 Noise Cancelling Headphones. I was excited to get them so I could use them on the plane and in busy airports, but I have found wearing them in the office (as I'm doing right now) have helped my productivity as they cut down on distractions.

A few pics below are of the office setup that may or may not be helpful. I have since rotated the desk so it is perpendicular to the wall with the big map and have made a few other changes. This new arrangement is even better.













Please shoot me a PM if you have questions or need additional information.

[mfalkner]

Brakeman,

Classic post and lots of good advice! very cool office setup.

[edub20]

Thanks for the tips. I figured I would need a sanity break occasionally as I currently get claustrophobic if I'm inside my house too long. That's a mighty fine looking office setup and I'm envious. I will be working out of our bonus room above the garage which has a built in dedicated desk and media center area with window.

[brake man]

Thank you for the kind comments about the office. We had built the space out from the larger room with the intent of making it an office but the space became the repository for junk and was not really used. My wife and two couples that are friends of ours decided to surprise me with this finished out office space for my birthday in February 2010 when I returned home from a business trip. As soon as I left, the crew cleaned out the space, painted the walls and trim, and installed the two taller bookcases, chair, and ottoman my wife had bought. They then blew up some hunting photos and brought in my grandfather's old chair, my Dad's old desk (with glue and water stains from when he used to built model airplanes on it), and the smaller old bookcase that had been in my grandparent's house out in the country. They also thoughtfully placed books, photos, and memorabilia throughout the office and apparently worked passed midnight a couple of nights. I returned home from my trip three days later to find one of the couples and their three kids hanging out in my house (which was not unusual). All the kids took my hands and led me down to the office with my eyes closed and then had me open the wrapping paper-wrapped door. I opened the door to see my incredible new office space that I never really thought would happen and was left uncharacteristically speechless. Probably one of the best birthday gifts ever! I enjoyed it for a little over two months before this lower part of the house was flooded by several inches of water in the floods of May 2010. We had to rip out sheet rock 2 feet up and start all over again, though I repainted with the same colors and re-installed things in a similar manner to what my wife and friends had originally done. Lots of sentimental things in here from family and friends.

[cwink]

I vouch for everything said above...

[novacaine]

brake.......................that's a cool setup except for the Arkansas picture.

I have been working from home for about a year and the rule of "If Dad's office door is closed..........he is working, come back later please" is critical.
Also, im ADD,ADHD,AD everything else that will distract me so i learned i had to close the curtains or turn the desk away from the window or i will g............................................look! a bird!!!
What were we talking about?

[brake man]

brake.......................that's a cool setup except for the Arkansas picture.

I have been working from home for about a year and the rule of "If Dad's office door is closed..........he is working, come back later please" is critical.
Also, im ADD,ADHD,AD everything else that will distract me so i learned i had to close the curtains or turn the desk away from the window or i will g............................................look! a bird!!!
What were we talking about?

novacaine, we may be related or something because the distractions can drive me crazy. Part of the reason I rotated my desk was so I would not be looking out the exterior door or the window. The Bose QC15 headphones (which are nothing I would have ever bought for myself) are INCREDIBLE at blocking out all the noise and helping with distractions. Try a demo sometime and you will be hooked as it is CRAZY how they really do cancel out the noise (and are great headphones for calls or listening to music).

Almost forgot........WOOOOOOOOO PIG SOOOOOOOOOIEEEEEEEE!

[SB]

Cool story, Brake Man. Nice office too!

[edub20]

brake.......................that's a cool setup except for the Arkansas picture.

I have been working from home for about a year and the rule of "If Dad's office door is closed..........he is working, come back later please" is critical.
Also, im ADD,ADHD,AD everything else that will distract me so i learned i had to close the curtains or turn the desk away from the window or i will g............................................look! a bird!!!
What were we talking about?

novacaine, we may be related or something because the distractions can drive me crazy. Part of the reason I rotated my desk was so I would not be looking out the exterior door or the window. The Bose QC15 headphones (which are nothing I would have ever bought for myself) are INCREDIBLE at blocking out all the noise and helping with distractions. Try a demo sometime and you will be hooked as it is CRAZY how they really do cancel out the noise (and are great headphones for calls or listening to music).

Almost forgot........WOOOOOOOOO PIG SOOOOOOOOOIEEEEEEEE!

I'm the same way, was diagnosed with ADHD in college but never took anything for it. I can get distracted easy as well as get saturated in things trying to figure them out instead of implementing a work around and moving on... My brain never stops running through random crap and scenarios and it's often tiring. I apparently passed that trait off to my son as he is the same way.

[deltadog]

I have been working from the house for about 12 years now and it is an up and down battle with family. The summers are what are the worse for me, because now my daughter is older and thinks she must have friends with her everyday and the older they get it seems the louder they get. Honestly though I wouldn't trade it for anything especially since it has allowed me to take her to school/ pick her up since she started and also be part of all her school activities(sports, programs). I will say this, the biggest problem I have with working from home is not knowing when to shut it down. Sometimes it seems as I am at work 7 days a week, but I am building a office/shop and plan on being out in it by summer. Congrats on the new venture.......

[jacksbuddy]

... I will say this, the biggest problem I have with working from home is not knowing when to shut it down. Sometimes it seems as I am at work 7 days a week.... Congrats on the new venture.......

+1 on this. Having worked from home before, you have to learn how to shut it off at the end of the day. If you don't you'll never end. You MUST maintain balance. Good luck and congrats.