Comments on: Do you find the seclusion of working at home changes your personality?

By: travesti

travesti — Sat, 08 May 2010 08:36:41 +0000

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By: The Morning Tea Break: Making Better People out of Nurses | LifeDev

The Morning Tea Break: Making Better People out of Nurses | LifeDev — Fri, 23 May 2008 16:34:37 +0000

[...] we uber-productites could take a page or two out the social handbook. Some of you have relayed that working at home has affected your personality, especially in terms of social [...]

By: Yvette

Yvette — Tue, 20 May 2008 04:52:22 +0000

I worked at home as an artist for 24 years and was happy and creative. Then I entered the work-force. The change from alone to an office environment was extremely difficult to adjust to so I left after 6 years. The past 3 years alone trying to create art have been rather empty. I always have to have a recorded human voice on through audio books or youtube interviews. I am now rejoining the work force.

By: ProfMcCord

ProfMcCord — Tue, 20 May 2008 03:25:11 +0000

I have been working from home as an Online instructor for about four years and have noticed I have developed a face to face “people” avoidance. It was getting bad a few months ago. I realized I was almost a hermit until I starting making changes. The biggest was getting involved in OUTSIDE activities. I try to eat lunch out three times a week along with going to my younger kids school ( I have a few young ones) and eating with them.

Great topic and I love the tips I have recieved.

By: Yvette

Yvette — Tue, 20 May 2008 00:52:22 +0000

By: ProfMcCord

ProfMcCord — Mon, 19 May 2008 23:25:11 +0000

Great topic and I love the tips I have recieved.

By: Andre

Andre — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:54:21 +0000

Definitely. It's easier to get bored and get derailed when you work at home (for me at least). Things tend to become less strict and seem less urgent.

I tend to be up and down on my work schedule... sometimes I sleep too late and it competeley messes up my schedule the next day. It's easier to just "take it easy" since you don't have a boss that gets on you when you slack off.

I get lazier more often here at home than I used to at my previous jobs. I also sometimes get depressed more easily; I miss the social aspect of working at an office and goofing around with officemates after work. But of course, there are tradeoffs as with everything...

If you want to be consistently productive, you have to really impose a work routine that you follow as religiously as you would if you were working at somebody else's company. Some may argue that that sort of goes against the perks of working at home or freelancing, but it's necessary to have a semblance of structure, if you will, to be consistently productive.

By: Ann

Ann — Mon, 19 May 2008 06:18:48 +0000

I don't know that my personality has changed, but I definitely feel happier when working in face-to-face collaboration. I have the option to work at my employer's space, but it feels so inefficient to pack up my computer, lunch, etc. every day when I can just go sit at my desk.

I didn't read the comments closely, but it looked as if most folks were feeling isolated and missing colleagues. Interesting, since working from home seems to be something of the holy grail.

By: LynnOC

LynnOC — Sun, 18 May 2008 20:26:08 +0000

I am going through something of what you describe, or at least something I don't like. I am a professor of clinical psychology, a researcher, and clinician. I moved my office (both academic and clinical office) home a few years ago. I teach a seminar once a week, and see a few clients almost every day, in my home office. I most miss the interactions with the staff, who are all friends, from my academic office. I think my productivity is lagging far behind, as I try to get some kind of feeling of community by reading blogs written by other knowledge workers, working from home. I end up reading about doing, rather than doing. I think some of this is searching for companionship, and it is the product of a lower dopamine setting. When my husband comes home in the late afternoon, he is looking for a non-social setting, and I am usually finally doing something productive, so that is not the time for interactions. I think the home office –despite the interactions I have regularly with clients and students–is not working optimally for me. Although the idea of again moving, and working out of two out of the house offices is not appealing. When I was in that situation I found it so inconvenient not to have my work in one place. Maybe I am a complainer. However I think i have not yet found a way to make my current situation fit my needs, and that if I can analyze the problems more objectively, I may be able to resolve them.

By: Amy

Amy — Sun, 18 May 2008 17:38:56 +0000

This makes so much sense! I have noticed myself getting more extroverted every year, and I wonder if it's more of a reaction to this 'bonding' biological effect? It really makes you think..