It is both what you want and the challenge you must overcome. It's working alone, the hardest part of self employment. Find out why self employment is the loneliest job.
For professionals who feel cooped up and hemmed in by an office environment, the thought of work at home seems sweet. But for those who have actually experienced self employment, working alone isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Self employment is really the loneliest job, one that brings a lot of stress and boredom. Can you handle being self employed, and working alone?
Work…Alone
For busy parents, work alone might sound like an ideal dream. Daily distractions often make it difficult to reach self employment goals. In these cases, working alone suddenly becomes desirable, needed. Successful self employed professionals have to learn to work even with home-oriented distractions. The phone will ring. Roommates and spouses might want to chitchat. People may come to knock on the door. And, if there arekids in the house, they’ll be sure to demand their fair share of attention.
The Loneliest Job
Self employment can almost always be categorized into two basic conditions: times work at home professionals want to be all alone, and the times working alone becomes its own distraction. Finding a happy medium between the two, or better still, learning how to work through it anyway, is the only way to maintain self employment success.
Sometimes, any little distraction is welcome, even wanted. Working alone every single day can be exhausting. Nothing makes it hard to work like a silent house and a blank computer monitor. It’s easy to feel lonely when one is all alone, and no one understands that better than the work-at-home professional. In these cases, it’s a good idea to create distraction. Turn on the TV or let a DVD play, creating noise and voices in the background. Sometimes, it’s actually easier to work with the noise than without – especially if the self-employed professional in question is used to fending off daily at-home work distractions.
Dealing with Working Alone
Self employment is the loneliest job, and working alone is never easy. Take a break if the solitude starts to feel uncomfortable. Call up a friend for a few minutes before getting back to work. Even a small break in the routine can help self employed professionals return to work feeling rejuvenated. Maintaining a regularschedule and to-do list can help self employed professionals stay on track work-wise, and prevent those days where work stays piled up for long hours on end. Don’t work too much. Working alone is something that should be liberally interspersed with social interaction, because staying self employed is an extremely difficult and lonely job.
The copyright of the article Working Alone in Working Solo is owned by KC Morgan. Permission to republish Working Alone in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
I am myself facing quite similar problems. Though the article dint help at
all as I am already aware of the situation. I was looking to learn
something on how the lonely part can be dealt with efficiently. Some
experiences would have helped for sure no doubt.
I was looking
for some motivation and became self employed eventually a few months back
but it seems like working alone has turned out to be the most biggest
demotivation for me of the all times.
Nov 7, 2008 12:15 PM
Guest :
I agree with the previous commenter. I have been self-employed all my life.
I was very productive when I owned a printing business with 15 employees
for 12 years. Then I sold that business and opened an online business with
only one subcontracted programmer who works from his home. He is not
interested in talking about marketing and advertising, which is my
strength.
I have found that I have become very unproductive
working alone - literally crippled. It's like playing tennis or baseball
with just one person. I hired a guy several months ago, and I became very
productive for a few months. Then the current economic recession happened
and my finances got tight, so I had to let him go. Now I am back on my own,
and have become very unproductive again. I know the answer is to get a team
together, but I cannot afford one right now. My business has a lot of
potential, but I can't seem to get any work done.
I think I need
a partner. Any takers?
Jan 12, 2009 12:34 PM
Guest :
Hi there! I am also self employed and very lonely. :-( I have only been
working as a freelance graphic designer for 4 months and already I am
finding the lonelyness crippling! To the last guest that needed a
partner...if you wanted someone to help you get inspired about your
marketing and advertising again, i'd be willing to help! I live in the UK.
Swindon to be exact. How about you?
Sep 23, 2009 11:57 AM
Guest :
I like the analogy of playing tennis with just one person to describe the
experience. I am typically a very hard working person, but the isolation
over the years is getting to me, i feel unmotivated and lonely. I get
easily distracted with physical "fillers" like cleaning things.
