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Two Weeks Down, Home Office Highway a Success - So Far…
By Jeff Zbar | July 21, 2008
When we departed on Home Office Highway, I’d wondered early on how successful I’d be working from an RV — and how successful my family would be living in the midst of a RV home office worker.
I’m proud to say, it’s been a success so far. Credit my own biorhythm, improved planning, making work a “shared experience,” and staying focused on the balance needed to make this happen.
I awaken early each day, while at home or on the road. So I’m able to work while the family sleeps. Realizing that I’m wouldn’t be working at 100% while on the road, I’m trying to be about 40-50% productive. So far, that’s been about the case.
As for planning, I’ve had to develop a general understanding of how things need to be in order to get done. It’s really more a matter of planning ahead. I have to write a newspaper column each Tuesday. At home, I generally begin research and prep-work on Monday. Yet I don’t know where I’ll be any given day on the road, or how much time I’ll have to work. So I’ve found myself developing the idea throughout the week — gathering column tid-bits sent in by people in search of mention and copy-pasting them into a template doc. This way, once Monday/Tuesday rolls around, I’m prepared to open the doc and just start writing.
“Sharing” work has been effective, too. My daughter had to read and summarize two books for her AP class in the fall. My son had to read a book for next year, too. And everyone has been asked to make entries into the family journal. So instead of saying, “Nicole, do your homework,” I’ve said, “Nic, open the laptop and let’s work together.” At home or on the road, working together like this does wonders to encourage kids to do their homework.
Finally, balance is essential. If I work too much, my family will get miffed. But they have no problem with my carrying my BlackBerry into Colonial Williamsburg or Walden Pond where Henry David Thoreau lived and wrote 160 years ago and occasionally checking email. It’s better than being tethered to the RV.
With my tech tools in place, and my mindset firmly wrapped around my need for productivity — and how to achieve it, I can say that two weeks in, Home Office Highway has been a success. Thankfully, I believe my family would agree, too…
Topics: Personal Organizing |