Human contact

[summie]

Doesn't anyone who works from home feel the need to have some sort of human contact? Because I work from home sometimes and it sometimes gets a bit boring and just want to have a little human contact and interaction. Does anyone ever feel that way?

[hhope1]

I used to worry about not getting enough human contact as a work from home type too.

Images of not enough sunlight, and an aversion to garlic starting developing in my mind. You know beware the internet vampire, but I decided to counter my work at home time with some relax with people time. I signed up for various clubs in the neighborhood. There's lots of different things to do, dancing, knitting, even aerobics classes. If you're lucky you can strike up a friendship or two and have a regular meeting each week with them.

Some other good ideas are getting a laptop and eating or spending time working at an internet cafe. I heard that writer JK Rowling writes the first drafts of her books in cafe's.

You can also sign up for a class or two at the local college. It can help keep you sharp and get you involved with other people.

[summie]

Sounds like some good ideas there...good tips for folks who work from home. Or you could just get yourself a nice imaginary friend to hang out with while you're at home - only joking!
But hey, sometimes solitude isn't necessarily a bad thing.

[hhope1]

Well,

If you have an imaginary friend it's definitely time to get out of the house and be around people. That is one of the warning signs.

Another idea is to simply take breaks while working and chat with people online via forums or IM.

[tigerconserve]

Yes! Email doesn't always do it!!! I find myself calling my friends and tryign to arrange lunch dates with them. I didn't realize how much human contact I needed until I started working at home.

[annasibs]

Would I sound strange if I said that the need for human contact never bothered me even while I was still starting with working from home? Because it never did. Not that I am anti-social or what. But then again, while I do not see people on a regular basis, I am deeply entrenched in online roleplaying communities and talk regularly with other people over IM.

[richiekotzenrules]

Originally Posted by annasibs

Would I sound strange if I said that the need for human contact never bothered me even while I was still starting with working from home? Because it never did. Not that I am anti-social or what. But then again, while I do not see people on a regular basis, I am deeply entrenched in online roleplaying communities and talk regularly with other people over IM.

I don't think that sounds strange at all ! I think there are just people that need more human interaction than others. It depents on the person, if you are somebody that has to go out all the time and meet friends, or invite them over or go to their houses... I am sure than you do miss the human interation and get lonely. But if you are not the type of person that has to meet friends all the time or spend time around other people and don't like these clique things... than you are perfect for working at home and don't feel the need to have human interaction all the time.

I think at some point when you do work in a office with other people and they want to interact all the time it can be bothering and take your concentration of your work and than you just forget what you where doing and you have to work overtime because you didn't get that much done. If you work at home alone, you can get your work done without disturbance and than do whatever you want to.

So what is better working from home alone or get dusturb all the time from co-workers ?

[annasibs]

Originally Posted by richiekotzenrules

I don't think that sounds strange at all ! I think there are just people that need more human interaction than others. It depents on the person, if you are somebody that has to go out all the time and meet friends, or invite them over or go to their houses... I am sure than you do miss the human interation and get lonely. But if you are not the type of person that has to meet friends all the time or spend time around other people and don't like these clique things... than you are perfect for working at home and don't feel the need to have human interaction all the time.

I think at some point when you do work in a office with other people and they want to interact all the time it can be bothering and take your concentration of your work and than you just forget what you where doing and you have to work overtime because you didn't get that much done. If you work at home alone, you can get your work done without disturbance and than do whatever you want to.

So what is better working from home alone or get dusturb all the time from co-workers ?

Yeah, you're right. I am indeed the type of person who does not need human contact all the time. I do feel lonely occasionally, though, but friends are just a phone call or an IM away for me.

One of the huge reasons I left my regular office job for freelancing is that I do hate being disturbed by co-workers all the time. I work better alone rather than in a team. How about you?

[richiekotzenrules]

Originally Posted by annasibs

Yeah, you're right. I am indeed the type of person who does not need human contact all the time. I do feel lonely occasionally, though, but friends are just a phone call or an IM away for me.

One of the huge reasons I left my regular office job for freelancing is that I do hate being disturbed by co-workers all the time. I work better alone rather than in a team. How about you?

I also work better alone than in a team. As I was working for a company, all the time co-workers would come in and start talking about what they did last weekend or what they saw on TV. They stop you from your work and you have to stay longer just to get done with everything. And if you tell them that you have work to do work they just get angry at you. And than there are thoose co-workers that run to the boss all the time complaining about everything or try to get you in trouble because they know that you do a better job than them. So they make it their mission to try to look better in the bosses eye than you do.

So for me it's better to work on my own. The best part about it is that you don't have to report to your boss all the time, because you are your own boss ! :D

[annasibs]

Originally Posted by richiekotzenrules

I also work better alone than in a team. As I was working for a company, all the time co-workers would come in and start talking about what they did last weekend or what they saw on TV. They stop you from your work and you have to stay longer just to get done with everything. And if you tell them that you have work to do work they just get angry at you. And than there are thoose co-workers that run to the boss all the time complaining about everything or try to get you in trouble because they know that you do a better job than them. So they make it their mission to try to look better in the bosses eye than you do.

So for me it's better to work on my own. The best part about it is that you don't have to report to your boss all the time, because you are your own boss ! :D

I hear you on this. What rocks about working on your own is that you are your own boss and you work on your own schedule. I myself love the freedom this brings.