The business phone interrupts you when you're, uh, indisposed. You're so sick and tired of staying inside those four walls you could just scream. Nothing ever seems to change. Not scenery. Not your job. Not the people around you. Nothing. And you'd swear that it's all because of your work at home job because you can never get out of the house.
If you find yourself wondering if your WAH lifestyle is really that great afterall, maybe it's time to shake things up a bit. What's the point of having the greatest lifestyle you could possibly have, if you're just taking it for granted and not appreciating it anyway?
Try these tips to help you continue to appreciate your WAH lifestyle:
Spend a few minutes in a different perspective. Say, for example, the perspective of those millions of poor people who have to shovel snow at 5 in the morning, rush out of the house in a stressful fit, and drive to work every day. As they're shaking their fists in traffic every afternoon, what would they think about you if you told them you NEVER have to drive in rush hour anymore? If they could talk to you about your work at home job, what would they ask you? Chances are their first question would be, "How did you get that job?" (because they want a job like that, too.). Do you know how many people would kill to be able to work barefoot at home on their sofa when they feel like it?? Or roast marshmallows in the fireplace when work gets too stressful? Or choose exactly what music they want to listen to while they work? All of these extremely wonderful little luxuries seem priceless to those poor souls who can't enjoy them. Yet, this is the same wonderfully comfortable lifestyle you are now complaining about. (What's wrong with that picture?) Thinking from a different perspective may not be enough to change your whole outlook but it's a good place to start before moving on to the next tip, which is a really good one.
Spoil yourself. Envelope stuffing is hard work... When you need a break you sure deserve one! There should be some benefit to all that hard work, right? Pamper yourself. The more extravagant, the better! Take the day off. Go shopping and buy something that really makes you happy. Maybe a CD you've always wanted or a new perfume. Go get yourself one of those fancy cappuccinos with the delectable pastry to go with it. Maybe it's a long drive in the country that you'd like... or a swim in the pool... or some new clothes. Whatever it is, identify what would make you feel really special and spoiled, and DO IT! If you're tired of staying in the house, get out of the house. Get a sitter. To heck with everything. Get out of the house. And give yourself permission to stay gone until you feel good and ready to go back. (That may be sooner than you think.) Just make sure you're not secretly giving to someone else. If you buy something, make sure it's for YOU. If you spend time with someone, make sure it's for YOU, not them. There is plenty of other time to take care of everyone else. If you're bored and burned out, it's your turn.
Change your habits. Whether we work at home or somewhere else, we can all find ourselves in ruts. Personally. Professionally. One of the best tricks for getting out of the rut is to first expand your mind. Fleas that are conditioned to believe they can't jump out of a jar won't jump out, even if the lid is taken off the jar and they're free. So, how do you take the lid off the rut you're in? Change your little habits. Wake up differently. Shower differently. Brush your teeth differently. Do your make up and hair differently. Scrutinize and try to change every little thing that you do. Go out for breakfast. Go shopping when you'd normally be doing something else. Don't work at your usual desk. Work on the patio, at least part of the time. If you're not on a specific schedule, don't work at your regular time. Do something completely different at that time. Try to change every single little thing about what you normally do. Doing so will open your mind and help you see your life in a different perspective.
Change your environment. Let's face it. If you're looking at the same old thing day after day, it's going to get old. Nothing is more invigorating than a new look. New wallpaper, new furniture. Sometimes a new potted plant is enough to perk you up. Sometimes it takes a whole makeover. If it's your office that's boring you, maybe it's time to invest in some new organizational tools or office furniture, new paint or new wall hangings. Sometimes it just helps to spend a whole day organizing your life so you can see the stuff you've already got. What you're going for here, is a change. A new beginning. And something that turns you on. If you can muster and spend some creative energy on the project, so the better!
Spend a few minutes remembering the negative. Remember the hundreds of mornings you had to drag yourself out of bed, perfectly miserable, because the alarm clock went off at the wrong time and you had to get to your j-o-b on time? Do you remember some of those yucky people you had to work with? The harassing boss. The micro-managing supervisor who stuck her nose in everything you did and then took credit for your work? The person with that strange odor? The co-worker who always spat in your food when she talked? Remember those long, boring, aggravating drives to and from work? Remember how frustrating it was to do things like get an appliance fixed, or go to the doctor, or be there for kids who were sick? Speaking personally, it was always amazing to me how my life and my outside job seemed to be like trying to fit a circle in a square hole. I always wondered why someone didn't fix that. It wasn't just I who was experiencing those problems. My life and my outside job just didn't get along. Bosses, schedules and customers don't understand what you're going through when your home is filling up with water and you have to be home when the plumber gets there... or you have to be home for the cable guy... or the phone guy... or to that store that closes at 5:30. And, as a mother, I greatly resented being made to feel inadequate or insecure by my j-o-b when my children had the hubris to need their mother during business hours. That battle was the worst battle of all, but I won. Now I work at home. I am ALWAYS there for my kids now if they need me and I appreciate it very much. You will, too, when you take a few minutes to remember how miserable it used to be before you had this freedom.
Go somewhere in rush hour. Perhaps you've forgotten the unnerving drive to and from work. The rude drivers and their fingers. The bad weather conditions. The traffic jams. The construction. The irritation of taking half hour to do something that should normally take eight minutes. When you work at home you no longer sit in traffic because you are now one of those lucky few who do their driving around when everyone else, and their car, is at work. That road's all yours now, baby. Do you appreciate it enough?
Spend some time with other people. Sometimes getting the work at home humdrums is from a lack of external stimulation or human contact. You might be surprised how much better you feel after spending a few hours out of the house visiting with someone, especially if you're playing hooky when you do it. Afterall, taking a day off is almost as much fun when you work at home as it was when you had that office job, but it's a lot easier now. If the person you want to spend time with is not a stay at home mom, doesn't work at home and isn't retired, maybe you can arrange for double the delight... you and your best friend both playing hooky at the same time. She may need a little pampering, too.
If none of these tips work, pull out the big guns... Go buy a newspaper and get an outside job. Don't worry, you won't get all the way. Somewhere between reading those maddening ads and showing up for work you'll be forced to remember the painful realities and unpleasant memories of those awfully restricting outside jobs and you'll be quite delighted to discover that the process has helped you love your work at home job more than anything.
You'll never want to give it up again.
