How to prevent feeling lonely when working from home

However much you silently complained about the noise at the office and the frequent interruptions to your work, does that seem like the good old days? Who knew that the sudden change in your daily life when you began working remotely from home could have the unexpected consequence of loneliness?

On the other hand, some people relish the thought of working in peace and quiet and simply flourish in this environment. They dread the time when they need to return to the office. A number of these people might even continue to work at home by joining an outsourcing company. Others however, may struggle until they can return to the ‘safe’ environment of their workplace. So if you are struggling with a feeling of isolation while working from home, here are five tips that should help to make the transition much easier.

1.    Communicate!

The easiest way to prevent feeling isolated at home is to communicate with your manager and co-workers. You can easily set up daily Skype meetings to discuss your work and collaborate with other team members. Phone calls, emails and even video conferencing using your computer’s webcam are all options that can be used to keep you from feeling lonely and isolated.

2.    Create a routine

Just as you would start work at the office at the same time every day, continue to do this when working from home. Adding structure to your day by starting and ending your working day at set times gives you the same sense of accomplishment as it did when you went to the office. Leaving work was always a wonderful time of the day! Structuring your working day and separating it from your personal time can help you to switch off a lingering sense of loneliness very quickly.

3.    Organise your day

If you are too busy to think about feeling lonely, then you won’t feel lonely! So organise your work for each day, writing down all the tasks you need to achieve and ticking them off as they are completed. It’s a good idea to create your task list just before you sign off each day, because the list of tasks you need to complete tomorrow will be fresh in your mind. The next morning when you sit at your desk, you simply work through your list and before you know it, your day has ended and you didn’t feel lonely at all.

4.    Get a pet 

If you have always wanted a pet, maybe now is the time to do just that! If working from home is only temporary however, then this isn’t the best idea, because you will leave them on their own when you return to the office. If however, you have made a lifestyle change and have decided to work remotely forever, a pet can keep you company all day long.

5.    Embrace the peace & quiet

For most people, solitude helps them to complete more tasks and be more productive. In fact, some people are amazed at the amount of work they can complete when they work from home. So embrace the peace and quiet at home  (even play soft music if you need some noise in the background) and look forward to a very productive time working from home.

For more information on working remotely from home, contact Outsourced today.