@joanmuschampfagnani I started my career as a virtual volunteer and continue to volunteer and work virtually. You have to love what you do! The Neven Morgan quote sums it up nicely: “Wake up unable to stop thinking about the awesome thing you’re working on.” If that doesn’t work for you, schedule your distractions for your least productive time of the day, and set a timer so you don’t go overtime.

My business is home-based and virtual; my clients are located all over the country, so I work virtual every day. I love it!

I spent nearly 25 years in the corporate world, and am a scheduler/planner by nature. So when I transitioned to working from home, I developed a routine that includes dressing comfortably, applying a touch of makeup, styling my hair, and brushing my teeth before I start my day so if I have to run out for an errand or a delivery person rings the bell I won’t embarrassed. Also, if a client wants to have an impromptu video Skype call, I don’t want to look like I just rolled out of bed. And I schedule my social media time in batches as well as other similar recurring work.

For the first few months, it was difficult to shed the employee mindset so I would work 12 hours a day in front of the computer without real breaks. I now schedule about three 15-minute breaks throughout the day to take a walk outside or on the treadmill because leading a sedentary lifestyle is becoming unattractive (read as a few extra pounds have accumulated), and I don’t feel guilty if I decide to run errands in the middle of the day for an hour or two. My husband suggested I take an afternoon every now and then and go to a movie, Starbucks to read, etc. And I plan to do that as well.

I absolutely love working from home, and I have the focus and motivation to be successful. If anything, I need to be a little kinder to myself and less rigid. Now that I’m the “boss”, anything goes!

Yes, the old school mentality that employees are only working when they are at their desks is indeed old school. My last employer is a well-known global business and my old boss and the CEO are only a few years older than me. I was so surprised to find out they have that mentality and aren’t open to flex time, working from home or part-time options for any of their employees. Before I left, I talked to them and HR about it as part of my exit interview, and they said that those options aren’t a priority because they haven’t lost an employee yet because of it, and no one has turned down a job offer based on that. I said they are losing an employee…right here…and asked how can they know about the number of people that won’t consider submitting resumes because the company doesn’t provide those types of options? *crickets* I also brought up how the company is really big on college recruiting, but how many persons from the younger generations want to sit at a desk from 9-5? I said if they were fortunate enough to hire some of them, I’m afraid they won’t be able to retain them for very long despite the popularity of the brand.

That company was my favorite to work for, it was the best job I ever had in the corporate world, and I loved working with the CEO and my former boss and I told them that. I said I will always be a cheerleader for the brand; it’s the lack of modern options that I’m disappointed about. I just don’t understand why a large company like that won’t even consider changing with the times.

@durkbarton applause to you for getting it. I had to do more than anyone else because I lived in a “geographically challenged” area… eg an affordable place in DC that gave us land and a quasi-rural lifestyle. It paid off for our kids because we paid in spades.

In the climate that we are experiencing now there is a particular difficulty to consider. Increasingly individuals who may live near a given company haven’t been prepared, trained for the positions available. More often companies have specific requirements for particular positions. To fill these needs it can become inevitable, imperative that workers from disparate locations to be accessed. This makes it the only game available that remote work situations be setup.

@fredericgonzalo virtual work does present challenges. And I do agree some roles simply do not fit a virtual existence. Yes, I have maet many people in my career who cannot work virtually–they often either lack discipline or critical thinking skills, but there are other factors.

A virtual manager must be equipped with the right tools and training to learn how to manage virtual staff as a team, and how to be able to team build without co-locations.