At-home job takes discipline
By Margarita Bauza
Detroit Free Press
If you think everybody who works from home wears PJs and sneaks in housework, Jeff Korona and Cynthia Kidder are here to prove you wrong. These home-based workers make it a point to look and act like professionals — even when there's no one around to judge.
It takes some discipline, but Korona and Kidder say it's doable and increases efficiency if you follow a few rules:
There's no time to be a slob. Take a shower and look like you're going somewhere.
"I rarely wear blue jeans to work in my house," said Kidder, 51, founder of the nonprofit Band of Angels, which advocates for people with Down syndrome. "There's something about being in jeans and a T-shirt that makes it too easy to throw in a load of laundry."
Just like in the office, there should be a certain time of day when things get done.
"Every morning, I clear my e-mail," said Korona, 46, president of re.Source Partners, a computer hardware asset management company. "I contact my partner with a morning call and then contact clients who need attention. I stick with the same routines as if I were in the office."
Don't allow family on the work computer.
"My kids can't do homework on it," said Korona, of Novi, Mich. "It gets very unproductive if you're trying to work and you click on the wrong thing and suddenly you have 15 pop-ups on your screen."
It's hard to be motivated when you don't have co-workers nearby. So make it a point to stay in the loop.
"Every now and again, I e-mail other professionals who I know work from home," said Kidder, of Rochester Hills, Mich. "I'll ask if they have five minutes to talk and then we discuss projects."
On the flip side, be careful about having too much social interaction at home.
"It's easy for girlfriends and family to stop by," Kidder said.
"I use an accounting service that does payroll for us," Kidder said. "It costs me $50 a month and it saves me a lot in terms of mental anguish."
