Factoid: JDOG was a guest for a table reading of an episode of The Simpsons
The biggest disadvantage is.. working from home! I teach interpersonal communication skills, and anyone who has telecommuted for a prolonged period of time will agree that the lack of social interaction can actually become depressing. While I don’t miss working in a cubicle I do miss the social office environment.
A few days ago I was posting on some technology message board when I stumbled upon a post from a guy who said he was so lonely working from his home office. He said that although he makes really good money, he spends on average 9 hours a day in a little room, with nobody to talk to, and the loneliness was really getting to him. Freelance programming and website development is his actual profession.
That post started quite a long discussion where many people chimed in about how they too were making great money by telecommuting, but were also suffering from the same loneliness, induced by a total lack of social interaction.
Prior to me working from a home office my whole engineering career involved a considerable amount of travel and field work, where I got used to working out of Starbucks coffee shops. Personally, if I stay inside working all day I go stir crazy.
On a side note… similar to opening 3 warm up sets (groups of people) to get in the zone when in a club environment, the baristas (usually cute girls) are my warm up set during the day. Not just a warm up set, but part of putting me on the right track for being the social, fun, and playful guy that people love to meet when out and about during the day.
So my advice to anyone who works from home is to use a laptop, and work from the wifi connection in coffee shops. Many of them have free wifi for customers, and Starbucks now provides 2 hours free wifi when you buy a prepaid card. Prior to this you would have to spend $20-$30 per month on Tmobile or AT&T wifi access.
OK, so I hope that there’s already some sanity saving advice here, but the real tip of the day relates to the fact that the music at most Starbucks is ANNOYING at best! I’ve had to leave on many occasion, because the combination of their music selection and volume levels can be like mind torture, especially when you’re trying to focus on work.
Sanity Saving Tip: Use a pair of noise isolating headphones
Do you want to meet women during the day? Yes, then realize there’s quite a bit you can do to improve your chances if coffee shops happen to be your hunting ground.. and making them your virtual office does have some advantages from that respect. Last week I was working at the same table that I’m writing from at this very moment. It was crowded in here, and my table had the only available seats. A couple asked if they could share the table with me, of course I said yes. It turned out that they were just friends, and I ended up leaving with the girl’s number and some tentative plans for reconnecting. No hunting involved on that occasion.. honest 😉
Great idea. I was wondering about using cool technology and tools (laptops, cell phones, cameras etc) as peacocking devices when working at public places, e.g. Dell allows a choice of designs and colors for some of its notebooks. Any other suggestions?
Yes, definitely technology is cool now! Ipod’s used to be a great peacocking or higher value item until everybody had one. All the college girls I meet use macbooks.. just have a look around a student coffee shop these days.. macbook.. macbook..macbook. Do they really need to spend more on a mac? Do they utilise the software, or the operating system? Nope, it’s just cool and everybody has one. BTW.. I’m JDOG, and I’m a Mac! ..fo real.
When I’m working on a website, or my video, or engineering from a laptop while chatting to a girl in a coffee shop I can always use it as a DHV (demonstration of higher value.)
..and YES DEFINITELY!! Decorate your laptop if you want.. there are skin companies that make case covers and stickers. They are temporary and totally make your notebook look cool and unique. Google “notebook skins” here are some links:
http://www.uniqueskins.com
http://www.skinit.com/
http://www.laptopskins.net
http://www.dell.com/art?ST=laptop%20skin&dgc=ST&cid=34333&lid=831903
http://www.schtickers.com/
Other ideas.. hmm.. personally I think that bluetooth’s out, and not cool. Personally I like to rock it out when I work by sitting my iphone on the table, and I actually tap and rock my body while listening to the music in my own sound bubble. I’m still aware of the women around me, and they do respond with IOI’s.. you must take your headphones out and start a conversation at some point though or she will leave.
Did you ever see that commercial when a girl pulls up in her car to a stop light, and the guy in the next car seems to be rocking out to his stereo. Her music is playing in her car and his movements just fit right in. so she starts trying to get his attention and gives him IOI’s. Then the perspective shifts to inside his car, and he’s actually trying to remember his grocery list by repeating it to himself… too funny. She just though he was cool, and uninhibited, whereas he was a total nerd. Perception.
I totally get the technology as a peacocking device. I tend to go long hours in the library (great place to meet girls) and I wear my Beats By Dre headphones. Sure they’re gaudy and call attention to themselves, but that’s kind of the point.
another cool site for laptop skins is VideoGame Skins
Very nice story. I'm also working at home and sometimes it's really boring.
One of the things that I also recommend is just variation.
Sometimes you can work at someone else's house (if they permit to. much like you're just visiting). In the park, at the coffee shop like you said or just about anywhere were there could be people. You could go back again into your home office.
The person just needs something that would not bore him or depress him an being alone and isolated in a home office would really do that.