Working from home, all of the time, without any contact with your peers, prospects or customers is a little unnatural.
For the last 100 years – up to about 10 years ago – most people worked side by side with their colleagues in office buildings or factories.
Before that, people worked within their communities, often within walking distance of their homes.
It is only within the last 10 years or so that the internet has allowed people work from home. (Actually, I can work from anywhere in the world, as long as I have an internet connection.)
Tens of millions of people now work in this way – relying on email, the web, social media and their phones to keep in touch with industry news, and with their clients.
Being able to work from home, or anywhere else, brings with it a host of advantages. It’s great to be your own boss, and work from the dining room table in your pyjamas. It’s wonderful to be there to greet your kids when they get home from school. And it’s a relief not to have to commute, or sit through endless meetings.
But, as I said, there is something not quite natural about working alone, all of the time, and never actually meeting your peers or your clients.
For myself, I’m a bit of a loner by nature. But even so, I still need to get out and meet some of the people I work with from time to time.
Last week I was at the AWAI Bootcamp in Florida. I got to talk with dozens – maybe hundreds – of people face to face. Some were colleagues, some were people I had coached but never met, some were my peers in the world of copywriting and marketing, and – up until last week – some were strangers.
Did it make a difference to me? Certainly it did. In addition to the short and long term benefits to my business, it did me good to get out and talk with other people who are involved in the same industry.
As social beings, I don’t think we can do our best work if we are always alone. Without social contact, part of us remains “unfed”. This is as true of our professional lives as it is in our personal lives.
So find some ways to get out of the house and meet with others.
Maybe join your local chamber of commerce. Or look for relevant MeetUp groups in your city or community. Or pick a conference to attend each year.
One way or another, get together with other people who are doing the same kind of work as you do.
This not only exposes you to possible business opportunities and partnerships, but also helps feed that natural need for social interaction.
Related Resources:
My coaching service for freelancers…
My ebook – Affirmations for Freelancers
About the author: Nick Usborne is an online writer, copywriter, author and coach. Read more…
Nick,
I met you last week at Bootcamp! After taking your courses and reading your articles it was nice to meet you for the first time face-to-face! I agree that we must get out and meet people. I’m a people person so sometimes working alone does make me feel “unfed.” But last week’s event helped to fuel me. Again, it was great meeting you in person. And this article is so true!