Comments on: Tips for working from home

By: Bark Off for Dogs

Bark Off for Dogs — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:06:28 +0000

As a completely new pet owner I like all the important info here. I really want my new puppy to get very well trained and have a healthful atmosphere to live in. I am grateful for the advice.

By: Work From Home Career Opportunities and Truths That You Should Know About | Work At Home Career Opportunities

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:17:27 +0000

[...] Tips for working from home [...]

By: Facebook, Twitter, and a free ebook, oh my!

Facebook, Twitter, and a free ebook, oh my! — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:01:08 +0000

[...] Tips for working from home [...]

By: Workin' from Home

Workin' from Home — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:34:45 +0000

I have been working from home for 18 months. It gets easier over time. Your tips are great. I have a basement office with a door. The key to staying at home is availability. I am at my desk and logged in every morning before 8:00 am. I go up for a cup of coffee at 10:00 for 5 or 10 minutes. I eat lunch at 12:00. Coffee at 2:00, try to wrap up by 5:00 or 5:30. You get the idea. I use Skype all day long. For $5/month you get unlimited long distance in the US & Canada and your choice of local phone number for incoming calls (I got one for where my company headquarters is so it is a local call for my manager to call me). Voicemail is included. I also use the international as mentioned by the earlier post. You definitely need a fax-to-email service for incoming faxes and get an all-in-one machine for outgoing faxes and scanning documents to pdf for emailing, filing, etc. Of course, it is also a printer and copier. I actually keep two computers going all day. I have my company laptop for all the stuff I would normally do at the office and then I have my personal computer for running Skype, playing music, etc.

I spent two years carefully making my case for working from home. I had all the technology in place and working (at my expense) and then asked to stay home a couple of days when I had a doctor appointment, my wife was sick, etc. I also found some great articles on the web about companies enhancing QWL for their employees and reducing costs by having employees work from home. I sent these articles to my manager. I also discussed it during my performance reviews. Having excellent performance reviews before you start talking about working from home is a good idea if your company culture is focused around everybody being onsite. It also helps to have a job that doesn’t require a lot of face-to-face. In my case, most of my time was already spent on the phone and computer so it was not a giant leap.

Working from home is very enjoyable for me. I don’t mind being somewhat alone and skipping the commute is awesome. I save money (even paying for my own “technology” costs), and I get more time with my family. My productivity is every bit as good or better than in the office.

Finally, don’t brag about it to your coworkers. Most of the people I interface with, even from my own company, don’t realize I work from home. Keep it as transparent as possible.

By: Fab Five - Day Before Thanksgiving Edition | Frugal Dad

Fab Five - Day Before Thanksgiving Edition | Frugal Dad — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:00:52 +0000

[...] Tips for Working from Home. If you work from home, or desire to, you need to read these tips. I hope to one day work for myself, whether or not I’ll do it from home remains to be seen. [...]

By: Make Friends, Earn Money

Make Friends, Earn Money — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:17:52 +0000

one of the biggest mistakes that people make is not to establish a working routine from the start. It’s important to assign your work hours just like you would at work and the points you make on this subject are right on the button.

By: Saving Money on Christmas Lights - Holiday Deals Edition | Money Smart Life

Saving Money on Christmas Lights - Holiday Deals Edition | Money Smart Life — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:24:58 +0000

[...] Tips for working from home @ Gather Little By [...]

By: Thedeise

Thedeise — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 04:04:31 +0000

These are great tips. I second the MyFax comment. I use it and love it. I have the same plan as the commenter which works for me.

By: Doreen Orion aka Queen of the Road

Doreen Orion aka Queen of the Road — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 21:10:05 +0000

I’ve worked at home for years and although I do much of what you say, I’m never dressed. To me, that’s just too much of a benefit of working at home and part of how I keep motivated not to have an outside office: I couldn’t go there in my PJs.

I do take my cell phone into the bathroom, as I frequenty get emergency calls. But, I make sure any PJs (ie “work clothes”) I buy have a breast pocket, so that’s where the phone goes.

Mute buttons ARE crucial. Unfortunately, I have a very vocal cat who likes to “work” with me. When people ask what that noise is, I just say, “Oh, someone brought her baby to the office.”

By: frugalchick

frugalchick — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:11:46 +0000

I suggest that you contact your landline phone provider and inquire about their fax service. I’m with AT&T and I do have the option to add that service to my existing business line. It only costs $6/month. I will be activating this service soon but from I remember with my conversation with the phone rep, the fax # will be the same as my phone #. If a fax comes in while I’m on the phone, I won’t be interrupted. The faxes will be delivered into my inbox and if it’s spam, I can just delete it. No wasted paper and ink.

As for taking the phone to the bathroom, the other party knows because of the echo!