Putting Theory Into Practice ... A Personal Perspective
Copyright © 2000 by Elena Fawkner

Since July last year I have been writing about the benefits and pitfalls of working from home.  Up until now, though, I've been preaching theory rather than practice since all that time I was working full-time as a corporate lawyer and running this business part-time in my spare time.  

Last month, though, the company I worked for for 12 years was sold and my request for a termination was granted.  I now officially run my online business full-time from home.

In this article, I'd like to share with you my first month's experiences and observations in making the transition from full-time corporate suit to full-time work-from-home entrepreneur.  If you're about to make the break, hopefully these words will help ease you through your own transition.


1. Identity Adjustment

To begin with, don't underestimate the mixed emotions you will experience when you leave the paid workforce to work at home, particularly if you've been in your job for a long time.  I wanted desperately to leave my job (I'd been waiting for my package for two years before it finally happened) but when the time came I was surprised to find how much I'd identified  with what I did for a living.  I was comfortable with Elena Fawkner, corporate lawyer, but how did I feel about Elena Fawkner, home-based internet business entrepreneur?  Just fine as it turned out but it took a few days to adjust to the idea.

2. Commuting

In my job I had a 75 minute commute.  Each way.  Do I miss that?  Yeah, like a hole in the head.

3. Time Control

Without a doubt one of THE best things about working for yourself from home is being able to control what you do or, more particularly, when you do it.

I have always been an early riser and this hasn't changed.  I still get up at 500 am, the same time I used to get up to go to work, but now I start work at 500 am and find that the three hours from then until 800 am are the most productive of my whole day.  I use this time to read and respond to email and to work on the next issue of AHBBO, among other things.

There is something about the peace and serenity of that time of day that makes it ideal for thinking work.

Then at 800 am I hit the shower and get dressed, take the dog for a walk, have breakfast and pick up around the house, maybe put put on a load of laundry and get the dishwasher underway. 

By 1030 I'm back at my desk ready to pick up work again.  Painless, and everything gets done.  Business AND personal.  Then I work through until lunch, break at 100 pm for lunch and do a few other things around the house then get back to it until around 500pm when I FINISH for the day (with no interminable commute to face).  None of this 18 hour day nonsense for me!

I am no longer dead tired at the end of the day, just pleasantly relaxed.  What a difference!!

4. Working With Your Body Clock

Closely aligned to the time control point is the fact that you can organize your work so that it dovetails with your body clock.  If, like me, you're an early morning person, you can get your most intellectually demanding work done in the early morning and less demanding work, such as creating web pages or whatever, during your less 'sharp' time.  On the other hand, if you're a night owl, by all means work from 1000 pm through 400 am if that's your 'time'.  You can sleep until noon if you want (if, like me, you don't have kids, that is!). 

Being able to schedule your work around your body clock rather than around someone else's arbitrarily determined 'work day' means you are far more productive than ever before and, as a result, you will find you get more done in less time than you would if you were still caged within your 9 to 5 prison.

5. Blurring the Edges

Another unanticipated benefit of working from home is that I don't have to segregate my business and home lives.  Whereas before I would work from 830 am through 500 pm (which meant being away from home from 700 am through 615 pm by the time you add in the commute each way), I would have to do all the other stuff of life, such as grocery shopping, laundry and cleaning the house in what I thought of as 'my own time'.  Now all time is my own and I can do what I want at the most appropriate time for me.

Go to Part 2 of this article