Getting It Done Right

July is done and in the history books. Somehow you and I have survived the month. And how do I know this? You’re reading this article.

Summer 2010 will probably go down as one where I’ve begun to put much more flexibility into what I do. Not that as I as freelancer am not flexible, but like so many of us independent workers, we’re used to a fairly predictable schedule and/or way of working. Wake up in the morning, log on, respond to emails and start writing.

Likely, you work from home most of the time. Why hit the road when you don’t have to?

On the Road

But this summer I chose to do things differently. As the school year came to an end, I purchased a new laptop (Mac) and decided to take my work on the road. That decision wasn’t hard to make because our small home seems to be shrinking in size as our children grow. Plus, two active tweenies need to be able to “let loose” from time to time without worrying that they’re disturbing Daddy.

So, I’ve been packing up for part or most of the day and taking my computer to the library, coffee shop, cafe or other location where the seats are comfortable and the connection strong. One or both have been hard to achieve at various times, but I’ve managed to make it work.

I’ve also taken said laptop with me on successive trips in July–one personal, the other for business reasons–and found hooking up much easier in 2010 than 2009 and earlier years. It seems that a lot of businesses are getting with it and making Internet accessibility much easier. And free too.

Back to School

When the kids return to school in three weeks I’ll be heading out less often, but I expect I’ll still work away from home some. I’ve tossed around the idea of renting an office, but I don’t want to be locked into one location nor am I willing to shell out the bucks if I don’t have to.  If the economy was more stable I might consider making the commitment, but not now.

I’ve also taken a pair of road trips this year though I was shut out in 2009. Last year it was all about businesses conserving precious resources, but this year I noticed companies are carefully weighing their options and willing to do business if they believe that they can get some ROI in exchange. Yes, when my expenses are paid for I’ll hit the road from time to time.

Until then….

Photo Credit: Nino Barbieri

Is Time For You To Ditch The Home Office?

I’ve been battling some very dark thoughts lately.

Nah, I haven’t been hatching a diabolical plot involving international espionage nor am I thinking of embarking on a crime spree (I’ll let our free spending politicians do that), rather I’ve been giving serious thought to ditching my home office. Yes, after nearly seven years of working from home in either a poorly heated and damp basement (when we lived in NJ) to the spare bedroom in our NC home, I’m thinking the time to move up and out is at hand.

Giving The Kids Some Room

You won't get me to wear a tie or suit on a daily basis, but having the opportunity to kick back and throw my feet up on someone else's desk has a certain primal appeal to it.

Of course, an important part of that reason is needing to give my office to one of our boys so that he can be free of his brother, but that isn’t the only reason – I crave solitude, especially when I am writing and am finding it increasingly difficult to do that at home.

You see, it isn’t just the family (and our cats) who are hanging around but there are neighbors, sales people even daytime visits from Jehovah’s Witnesses who are intruding on my peace. Just like the good ‘ole days when people were actually home during the day I’ve learned that this phenomenon is very much alive and kicking – people can be found at home during traditional working hours at least where I live.

Look, Madge, He Must Be Out Of Work

Some of this is my fault because I’ve been known to either take a nice long walk during the middle of the day or bring out the lawn mower or leaf blower to do some yard work. By all appearances I’m either retired or unemployed, so I must have time on my hand, right? Yikes, no.

I started to check out the local real estate theme late last year, visiting Craigslist about once a day to see what was posted. Commercial rent prices in the Raleigh area vary widely with the prime locations downtime or in nicely landscaped office parks charging a mint while some smaller, out of the way offices are going for a song.

One of the best arrangements I’ve seen so far are those professional office suites where the lessee would like to sublet a room to one working professional (that’s me!) at a price that is $300 or less per month. Yes, and some of these locations are quite nice with central heat/air, internet connection and all utilities included. With a private room I can sequester myself deep in the bowels of an office, coming out from time to time to have human contact which I don’t get working at home.

Yes, the occasional phone conversation is nice and social media allows me to stay connected, but that only goes so far – who the heck are you people on Facebook, StumbleUpon, Twitter, Digg et al anyway? Hmmm?

The Garage Looks Nice

But don’t count on me leaving home just yet – just when I think about making the move, a client halves my work citing the economy or some other project comes to an end. When that happens, I have to quickly redouble my effort to make up for loss income which means if I have another monthly bill to pay, then things become a little bit tighter.

Gee, you think that unused garage space could be converted to an office instead?

See Also — Launching Your Own Business? Consider These Steps First!