K

OR maybe spread out a lot if you have the room or perhaps consider a movable partition. ‘Bringing work home’ – while a great idea – is change. And change shakes up the box, for better and worse.

I ran a business with my S/O for six years and we shared a loft for an office. It really paid off to ‘go to our respective corners’ even during the best of times and when we were working on the same projects.

Just a thought,
M

I think the best things for my day will be 1) not having to commute; 2) a reasonable amount of silence (noise is one of my worst problems at my office); 3) always a good lunch! I really like the idea of once I have the hang of a full day at my ‘office’ to introduce a regular distraction (for you snowboarding, for me like a run or a bike ride).

My work space will be a harder nut to crack (I might have to share an office with my husband) but I’m going to make it happen. I just got my bonus from last year (!) and I’m going to put it away as first pay for my new business.

Some suggestions from a guy who has been there:

Clarity
Be super clear about your idea of ‘happier.’ Super clear. Run a movie in your head with every detail you can conjure and include as many senses as you can. It’s an easy way to challenge your notion that you are moving toward something vs. running from something.

Routine
Certainly at first, I’d recommend getting up, getting dressed and ‘reporting’ to your desk or phone like a job – because it IS. After you have a full pipeline of work and feel the ‘groove’ of full-risk consultancy, then swing for the fences. I found that my ideal schedule was early work, mid-day snowboarding, then evening work…and for me, no cell phones on the lift!

Boundaries
Create a distinct workspace from the rest of your home. That doesn’t mean you HAVE to be there for all of your work, but have it, and have it be YOURS and only yours. It’s where you go to create, think, get away from the family maybe. And it’s a reminder that you’re doing more than hanging around your house…you’re working!

Blurring the lines between work and ‘going to work’ is a beautiful and natural thing I imagine you’ll come to cherish. Be thankful you have the expertise that lends itself well to that blurring and savor every moment.

Best of luck,
Mark

Just wanting to get a non-biased take on my work situation. I’m a programmer … the only female programmer. A year and half ago our company decided to close our office and ask everyone to move to a new town. Only a couple of people did so, so they decided to allow the rest of us to work from home. Recently (due to a change in upper management) my supervisor decided he could get a new office opened in our area. He didn’t ask any of us how we felt about this. He just went on his own and chose an office…one that was very convenient for him and in his favorite part of town … which happens to be the most expensive part of town. So, we were able to get much less office for the money. In fact, we have to share a bathroom (unisex) with all of the other residents of the building which gives me the willies. Plus we’re basically in one big empty room (no dividers, etc). About half of the people in the area who worked from home do not report to him. He did not ask their managers how they felt about this either. He assumed everyone was going to be thrilled to have an office again. When he made the announcement (after he’d already had the lease signed) it turned out that none of the people who did not report to him wanted to come into the office…. and their managers did not make them. So now we have an office with only a tiny handful of people (because we weren’t given a choice). I’m so enraged! I can’t stand to look at my boss anymore. #1. I was very happy and productive at home #2. this office just sucks and is very inconvenient for everyone but him #3. I feel like he doesn’t care about how he’s affecting our lives #4. I can’t get over the feeling that I’m being punished because of the department I work in and the supervisor I have. I feel like everyone should have been forced to come to the office. It feels very unfair, especially when they tease us about their ‘great commutes’ and ‘private bathrooms’. Am I being childish? Should I say something to him? Should I just suck it up and get over it? Thanks for any advice you can give me. This is really affecting me negatively. I don’t sleep well or enjoy life like I used to.

Did you really have to ‘kick up your feet’ for your banner or did somebody just Photoshop your head onto a feet-kicking body or shoot the shot positioned on the floor?

I’m trying to identify some tools for dealing with people who are threatened by competence? What is the best way to handle a superior that does not understand best practices?

My husband and I work in technical fields (Chemistry and Computer Programming). We keep running into the same problem: We get hired to solve a problem, after a few weeks I create a solution using solid logic and best practices – but the manager or senior co-worker is threatened competence, and they get stuborn and defensive. After that it is only a matter of time before they turn on me. I want to head this off at the pass.

The only people that have a problem with me are typically indecisive managers who prefer inaction to the risk of making a mistake. How can I handle these people to prevent them from resorting to bad behavior AND get the job done that I’ve been hired to do? I really can’t seem to think my way out of this…

Thanks for any insight!
-Jade