You hate everyday life with its fussy “mornings”, when you rush around the house in a hurry, dress hastily, brush your teeth in the turmoil, and then, together with millions of the same hard workers, you take crowded minibuses, trams, trolleybuses and subway cars by storm. And all in order to get to work on time. Meanwhile, the lucky few leisurely prepare breakfast for their beloved wife, get the kids ready for school, and then, comfortably wrapped in a terry robe, march to the computer with a cup of coffee and a vase of dried fruit. They are not in a hurry to go to the office because they work without leaving the family nest.
Are you jealous and want to join them? Our online magazine will help you figure out whether remote work is right for you or not!
Alla, 41 years old, designer
I'm a creepy owl. Well, I can’t work effectively if I get up at seven in the morning! I still sleep half the day! I only become active in the evening. I used to work at home and didn’t know grief. I slept until almost noon, and at night I sat at the computer.
Article on the topic How to return to work after a long vacation and not get depressed I managed to do everything, wasn’t tired at all, and felt great. And recently I found a new job and I had to go to the office. For me this is akin to a disaster. First, I rock for half a day, then I start to work sluggishly, and in the evening, when I have to go home, I finally wake up. As a result, I still work at night, but I no longer have time to sleep - I have to go to work in the morning! In six months I literally turned into a neurasthenic person! Health problems began. In general, I think we need to switch to freelancing again. For me it's much more comfortable.
Life hack No. 1: making online communication more convenient using Bring Your Own Device technology
Problem: there is a work meeting in progress, three employees are communicating via video conference with colleagues.
This situation is often illustrated by photographs of smiling office workers. But what's really going on? In front of people there is a small laptop - for example, a MacBook Air with a small screen on which the interlocutors are not visible from a meter away, not to mention graphs and numbers. Instead of a happy smile, there is barely concealed discomfort.
Shutterstock/VGstockstudio
It is much more convenient to use a large screen in a meeting room, especially since most companies already have such solutions.
But another problem arises - employees use many applications at the same time. They communicate with colleagues via Polycom, with partners via Zoom, with clients via Skype, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp or FaceTime.
Staying connected regardless of our actual location, we are used to using personal devices - smartphone, tablet, laptop - we store personal data on them for logging into applications and up-to-date information on projects.
It turns out that even in an office meeting room it is much more convenient to work from a personal device rather than from a corporate device connected to a large screen. This way, you don’t need to waste valuable time trying to remember and enter the password for an application or email, searching for a presentation on the server, or transferring files from your phone/tablet. Many people are still afraid to leave their personal data on public devices.
You need to decide how to connect employees’ personal devices to the big screen as easily as possible. Connecting via cable is not always suitable, and in the case of a tablet or smartphone, it is impossible. Not all applications can stream video and audio to external screens.
Solution: BYOD technology (Bring Your Own Device)
Source: Barco ClickShare
How it works?
You install a BYOD receiver in the intercom and connect your smartphone or laptop to the corporate network. Or connect a small button device to the laptop’s USB.
Now you can quickly and conveniently display everything you need on the big screen in the meeting room from a personal device - laptop or smartphone, including streaming video and audio - for example, a Zoom conference or presentation.
BYOD devices are produced, for example, by Barco and Kramer. They are simple and convenient.
An office that already uses the solution
The office of Etalon Group uses Kramer VIA. A device that is a USB button. It connects to laptops like a flash drive. One click on a button and the image from your laptop or tablet is displayed on the shared screen.
Cost: from 100 thousand rubles for one BYOD device
Irina, 36 years old, manager
I believe that every woman needs to go to work at least from time to time. Otherwise she will turn into a whore! Why buy a beautiful dress if you only wear a robe and sweatpants? Why do your hair if no one can see it? And gradually the woman, without noticing it, declines, gets fat, and ages. Personally, I would go crazy if I had to sit at home all the time. I need compliments from male colleagues, I need communication with my co-workers! After all, I need to show someone new dresses! Otherwise I'll waste away. In general, going to the office is vital for me. It is only thanks to them that I am still in shape and look much younger than my age!
Tatiana, 44 years old, translator
I once worked at home. So, for some reason, my loved ones believed that they could blame all the household chores on me.
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Alexander Klimai: “Looking for a way out of post-vacation depression” It was impossible to explain to them that I didn’t have time to go to the store, clean, walk the dog and cook. It seemed to them that since I was sitting at home, it was as if I wasn’t doing anything. My husband was sincerely offended when he came home from work and did not find a hot dinner consisting of homemade cutlets. He perceived hastily cooked sausages as a personal insult! Not to mention the fact that I always washed the dishes after meals - he was at work, he was tired! But now my family understands that I am tired too, and they are trying to help.
Pros of remote work:
Your job does not require constant presence in the office, communicating with clients and participating in meetings.
So, service personnel, business managers, government employees, teachers and health workers are no longer needed. Among the chosen ones are people of creative professions and computer scientists: writers, artists, designers, programmers. If your job requires communicating with people or important documents, you will have to look for another job.
All you need is a computer to work, and access to the Internet to communicate with your superiors.
There is no point for the above mentioned employees to hang around the office all day. Of course, the work must be completed on time, but you can work on your projects, translations, layouts and works at home, pausing from time to time to prepare another portion of hot chocolate or watch your favorite TV series. You can send your finished work to your boss by email, and within an hour you will receive a response with praise, comments or instructions. You can discuss the details by phone or Skype.
You like to work on your own.
If you are a pronounced introvert, you have long been drawn to working alone. Communication with people, a multi-voiced office with its crazy life tires you and even knocks you out of a cheerful working state, and chatter that is not related to the work process drives you crazy. Due to all this chaos, deadlines are poor, quality is poor, and as a result, your career suffers. By nature, you are a homebody, you are sensitive to the crush in transport and do not understand why you should spend 2 hours on the road if the same work can be done at home. Remote work from home is the ultimate dream, as it will allow you to combine being at home and doing what you love.
You have experience working in an office, but you don't like working according to a schedule.
You are not one of those who are able to plan, draw up work schedules, you hate schedules, clear boundaries and rules. You use diaries not for their intended purpose, but as an ordinary notebook. Your lifestyle is complete freedom without obligations and frameworks. The thought of coming to work at the same time kills you.
Undoubtedly, homework has its advantages.
A couple of hours of extra free time, you won’t have to spend traveling to the office and back. You can use it to tidy up your home, go to the gym, or immediately take on pressing tasks. You don't need to spend time doing your hair and ironing your shirt, so why not sleep longer? You will stay away from the intrigues of your colleagues and communication with people you dislike. You will be able to fully eat homemade borscht and aromatic mashed potatoes, while others are forced to save themselves on “fast food” and yoghurt. You can spend more time with your children, check homework, pick them up from kindergarten earlier, without having to take time off from work. “Just a fairy tale, not life!” you’ll think and rush to convince your boss that you’ll be able to do your job without leaving the house.
Anna, 35 years old, accountant
I haven't worked in an office for a long time. I come from time to time if I need some signatures and seals on documents. I do all the reports at home. I like! I get a lot more done now than when I worked in the office. There is no one to distract you at home - your husband is at work, your children are at school, and then at after-school activities. And when I went to work, then one colleague would run in, then another, then I needed to drink tea with them, then some kind of meeting would be organized. As a result, there was not enough time for the work itself. We had to stay late in the evenings. Only after everyone left the office could I finally concentrate and begin to fulfill my immediate responsibilities.
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How to get ready for work after long holidays? Advice from a psychologist Until then, it’s all fuss! There is no such thing at home, I was even able to take on an additional part-time job. In general, there was more money, and, oddly enough, time was freed up.
Dangers of working from home
The first thing that scares many women, who have nothing physically keeping them at home, is that in the absence of the need to go out “in public” every day, women stop taking care of themselves, stop putting on makeup, and dressing beautifully. This is true, such a danger exists. Ladies who are planning to do business at home must be aware of this danger and do everything so that your image, your charisma, your individuality and attractiveness do not disappear. Otherwise, you can not only lose yourself, but also your family, friends and loved ones.
In addition, the opinion that now you will have time to do everything around the house is wrong. You need to work, not cook cabbage soup and wash the floors! You sit at home to start earning more, and not to turn into a housekeeper. Warn your family immediately that you work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a half hour break for lunch. The most important household chores, of course, need to be done, but you will have to devote most of your time to work.
But not only relatives can expect you to take care of the house, but you yourself can succumb to great temptations, sleep longer, eat more, watch an interesting movie on TV, read a book. Yes, no one will punish you for this, but you won’t be able to earn anything from such work. Are you able to exercise strict self-control? Do you know how to tell yourself to get busy when you want to relax? Are you able to plan and accurately carry out your plans? If you answered yes to these questions, then your business will prosper and develop. If you just want to help your husband earn some small amount, then you need to do all the household chores and work a little. That is, again, we have come to the main question of everything that happens to us in this world - why? The purpose of your business will determine its essence.
In addition, you need to understand that a home business is still a business, it has the same laws as a big business in a factory, for example. You will have to incur initial costs for the purchase of raw materials and materials, you will have to find distribution channels, register an individual entrepreneur and maintain accounting, accounting and reporting. You must understand that you will have to combine both an employee and a manager; you yourself will be responsible for the success of your business. Therefore, you shouldn’t relax when working from home. On the contrary, you need to concentrate on your business enough to expand production volume and start earning money by managing, rather than working. You understand that in a successful business, everyone reaches the level when they have to stop working themselves. In a word, learn, develop, expand, earn money.
Igor, 27 years old, programmer
I live outside the city. It takes me 2.5 hours to get to the office. That is, I spend five hours a day just on the road. I could have spent this time usefully if my bosses had allowed me not to go to work. Moreover, when I come to the office, I really can’t do anything! You’ll be shaken in the minibus, frozen in the train – and that’s it, I’m squeezed like a lemon! The wife is also not happy. I leave the house at half past seven and return only at half past ten in the evening. I have dinner and go to bed. There is neither energy nor time for intimate conversations.
Mikhail, 32 years old, manager
My wife works at home. And this is just happiness for us! There is no need to spend money on a nanny - the wife can look after the child herself. Previously, two-thirds of her salary went to paying for a nanny. And this despite the fact that my son went to kindergarten. But sometimes he gets sick, sometimes we don’t have time to pick him up, in general, we can’t do without help, and we don’t have grandparents. My wife and I are both newcomers, we have relatives in another city.
I also can’t allow my wife not to work yet - we have a mortgage on our apartment, we need to pay off our debts somehow. In general, when my wife found this job, we, one might say, breathed freely!
Oleg, 43 years old, technologist
Article on the topic
How to work effectively from home? There was a period in my life when I worked at home. I did not like. If at the office you have a fixed working day, then at home it is endless! Moreover, the employer is sure that he can call you at eight in the evening and demand that the work be done by morning.
It is believed that an employee who sits at home can work around the clock - he still doesn’t work enough! Our boss was absolutely sure that we all sat at home and watched TV all day long! No matter how many things you did, your boss still felt like you weren’t working hard enough! I understand why this is connected - he doesn’t see how busy his subordinates really are!
Disadvantages of remote work:
You will have to work much more.
Yes, yes, you read that right! You will no longer be able to talk for three hours on the forum in the middle of a working day. Or you like to hang out on online magazines or YouTube all day long, isolating yourself from your bosses with a monitor and pretending that you are completely immersed in your work. Actually, you can, but no one will pay you for it. Your salary does not depend on the hours spent in the office, but on the results of your work. And you will have to work hard for the result.
Household chores may start to distract you
Not in the literal sense, of course, but when you sit down at the computer, you will probably be tormented by remorse over the accumulated household chores. Working in an office was a powerful excuse and allowed me to turn a blind eye to the layer of dust on the furniture and dirty dishes in the sink. Now you don't have that excuse. You will learn what it means to be apart of the team. “They” will not accept you as “one of their own,” and when you meet you, you will feel a chill of alienation in the voice of people who were once almost dear to you. You'll miss all the corporate parties and "meadows" on the occasion of colleagues' birthdays. Now, instead of having lunch in a nice cafe, you will have to cook borscht, soups and fry cutlets. Perhaps this is exactly what the time freed up from traveling to work and back will be spent on.
We'll have to prioritize
Before you decide to become a freelancer, you should think carefully. This can greatly change the pace of your life and your social circle. You will need to prioritize what is more important to you on weekdays and even more so on weekends. Believe me, working as a freelancer is not as easy as it seems at first glance.
In conclusion…
Being a freelancer is undoubtedly a good life experience, but this mode of work is not suitable for everyone. If you have an office at home in which you can isolate yourself from everyone so that you are not disturbed in your work. If you can avoid being distracted by routine tasks, such as cleaning, then feel free to switch to remote work. However, if you are still in doubt, we advise you to talk to people who work remotely or who is better off staying in the office with other colleagues.
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