If you are an online course tutor, the chances are that you will be working from home, at least for part of your week. As an at-home worker I have had to learn to adapt myself to the relatively unstructured environment of a distance worker. Although I am one of two directors of a New Zealand business, a lot of what I do helps to create the product that earns the company income. I therefore need to be available and working at least 40 hours a week.
Moving from a regular eight-hour a day job to working at a distance has proved to have some challenges. I have now spent four years working from a distance. I’ve always been consistent when recording my time on different projects, so nothing changed when I reached Golden Bay – only the scenery. That was a problem …. From working in a small office in Christchurch I moved to a house on a hill overlooking Pohara, and Golden Bay. It was distraction city.
I’d forgotten how waves can shift and shimmer, grey out and race across the bay in front of a westerly. I became a bay watcher, unconsciously recording the tides and wind changes, the visiting birds and the cruising campers who came to see how the other-half lived. I would sometimes clock out just to sit on the deck and watch the marvellous changes in the bay.
The ability to clock on and off has had pluses and minuses. I found, everyone else thought I could ‘do other things’ during the day. An hour here-and-there, ‘doing other things’, soon eats into the time available to complete projects and meet deadlines. After the first month or so I became more disciplined and moved my office into a space where there was no direct view of the sea. Breaks became more structured.
A contractor we are currently working with says discipline is the key when working from home. “You have to make sure that you stick to your time schedules and deadlines. Not just work, but you have to make sure you take those breaks so you keep your mind fresh and creative,” says Shaun Meredith (Better Informed Ltd).
Our spaniel Tilly plays her part in keeping me sane, bringing me toys to play with or trying to climb onto my knee when I’ve been too long at the computer. Yet there are times when even Tilly’s company is not enough and I succumb to cabin fever. Working alone can feel isolating if you’re a social character. When your partner comes home ‘peopled-out’, you’re ready to party!
Sarah, the other director, and I have frequent phone ‘meetings’, occasionally use the phone to brainstorm with others using three-way phone calls. We’ve had limited success with Skype, but that’s more to do with our personalities - when we want to create we want to do it now, so we stay within our comfort zone and use the phone. We’ve also used Team Viewer with each other and clients.
Shaun agrees: “For my business verbal communication is very important. Having that verbal contact keeps you in the loop and you can better judge the situation with your client. Some clients’ expectations can get lost or misunderstood if you maintain textual communication.”
When working on a project together, Shaun and I both use the process of phone calls and follow-up clarifying emails between us and with other clients.
Shaun says: “One tool I have found very useful is Dropbox. The ease of this tool and not having to deal with blocked email or size restrictions makes you feel like you’re working on the client’s intranet.”
I’m lucky to live in an area of Golden Bay where Broadband is available. Over the three years I’ve worked here connectivity has improved. On the occasions it goes down, it’s Murphy’s Law and there is always, always a deadline approaching. Mail and the courier leaves mid-afternoon. There’s no possibility of dashing out to the airport with a CD for the courier’s next-day delivery – the airport’s almost a two hour drive away.
And that’s a downside. There are times when visiting a client is essential. For a period of about five months I was travelling to and from Rotorua once or twice a month. I had to leave home at 4.30am in the morning to make air connections to Wellington and then to Rotorua. If you’ve travelled the Takaka Hill you’ll understand how, at that time of the morning, it’s a bit of a challenge. I kept setting personal records like driving seven times over the Hill in 10 days.
For me, working at a distance has had far more benefits than I ever expected. As long as I stay focused during the day and I’m prepared to extend my hours when a deadline is looming, it’s fine. But then, that’s like any job, isn’t it?
Moving from a regular eight-hour a day job to working at a distance has proved to have some challenges. I have now spent four years working from a distance. I’ve always been consistent when recording my time on different projects, so nothing changed when I reached Golden Bay – only the scenery. That was a problem …. From working in a small office in Christchurch I moved to a house on a hill overlooking Pohara, and Golden Bay. It was distraction city.
I’d forgotten how waves can shift and shimmer, grey out and race across the bay in front of a westerly. I became a bay watcher, unconsciously recording the tides and wind changes, the visiting birds and the cruising campers who came to see how the other-half lived. I would sometimes clock out just to sit on the deck and watch the marvellous changes in the bay.
The ability to clock on and off has had pluses and minuses. I found, everyone else thought I could ‘do other things’ during the day. An hour here-and-there, ‘doing other things’, soon eats into the time available to complete projects and meet deadlines. After the first month or so I became more disciplined and moved my office into a space where there was no direct view of the sea. Breaks became more structured.
A contractor we are currently working with says discipline is the key when working from home. “You have to make sure that you stick to your time schedules and deadlines. Not just work, but you have to make sure you take those breaks so you keep your mind fresh and creative,” says Shaun Meredith (Better Informed Ltd).
Our spaniel Tilly plays her part in keeping me sane, bringing me toys to play with or trying to climb onto my knee when I’ve been too long at the computer. Yet there are times when even Tilly’s company is not enough and I succumb to cabin fever. Working alone can feel isolating if you’re a social character. When your partner comes home ‘peopled-out’, you’re ready to party!
Sarah, the other director, and I have frequent phone ‘meetings’, occasionally use the phone to brainstorm with others using three-way phone calls. We’ve had limited success with Skype, but that’s more to do with our personalities - when we want to create we want to do it now, so we stay within our comfort zone and use the phone. We’ve also used Team Viewer with each other and clients.
Shaun agrees: “For my business verbal communication is very important. Having that verbal contact keeps you in the loop and you can better judge the situation with your client. Some clients’ expectations can get lost or misunderstood if you maintain textual communication.”
When working on a project together, Shaun and I both use the process of phone calls and follow-up clarifying emails between us and with other clients.
Shaun says: “One tool I have found very useful is Dropbox. The ease of this tool and not having to deal with blocked email or size restrictions makes you feel like you’re working on the client’s intranet.”
I’m lucky to live in an area of Golden Bay where Broadband is available. Over the three years I’ve worked here connectivity has improved. On the occasions it goes down, it’s Murphy’s Law and there is always, always a deadline approaching. Mail and the courier leaves mid-afternoon. There’s no possibility of dashing out to the airport with a CD for the courier’s next-day delivery – the airport’s almost a two hour drive away.
And that’s a downside. There are times when visiting a client is essential. For a period of about five months I was travelling to and from Rotorua once or twice a month. I had to leave home at 4.30am in the morning to make air connections to Wellington and then to Rotorua. If you’ve travelled the Takaka Hill you’ll understand how, at that time of the morning, it’s a bit of a challenge. I kept setting personal records like driving seven times over the Hill in 10 days.
For me, working at a distance has had far more benefits than I ever expected. As long as I stay focused during the day and I’m prepared to extend my hours when a deadline is looming, it’s fine. But then, that’s like any job, isn’t it?
Heather Sylvawood
