Interesting Article

Can You Operate as a Virtual Being?

http://www.campustechnology.com/articles/69614

Time Management

Ten days since my last post?!? How embarrassing!

Today I'm experimenting with some time management software that reminds me of breaks - long and short.

Here's the web site:
http://www.dejal.com/timeout/

It lets me know when to take a break. Looks like I could also connect it with iTunes, but I haven't tried that yet.

Time Zones

My calendar technique needs some work.

Here's my conundrum -

If I need to schedule a meeting in my calendar software - what time zone do I use? I'm in central time. So my first thought is to keep everything in central time. However, the person I'm meeting with is in Eastern time - so if I keep it Eastern then I'll be sure to call them on time (if I mark it as Eastern time). But that requires conversion on my end for each meeting.

Also in the mix is that this is a shared calendar -- so folks in Eastern time zone may be checking my availability on this shared calendar. And if I keep everything in Central time it would be an hour off for all of them.

If I set my calendar to default as Central time, will it display at Central time in the shared space and force my colleagues in the east to do conversions. I don't want that either.

I need to unravel this knot before my schedule fills up!

First Friday

I'm in the sunroom today. Five fluffy squirrels are putting on quite an acrobatic show out the north windows. Jumping across tree tops and chasing each other in downward spirals around the tree trunks. An entertaining distraction. But the sun does provide some energy so this will be a good spot to work in days to come.

My packages have arrived to finish up the office setup -- printer, camera, work materails, etc. So it may be time for some workspace setup this afternoon.

Organization Day!

The election was a big distraction yesterday - so onward and upward!

I'll need to get some more office supplies this week. I needs to keep my project files separate in paper and in email (so setting up folders in both places is a necessity). Also waiting on three boxes to finish the home office setup. Those should arrive this week as well.

I'll be working on some templates to help me with repeating tasks - first for some common web sites.

I also need to practice tracking systems this week.

All in all, I think it's working well. I enjoy being on my own without the usual office distractions.

Once I get a more well-defined path for myself it will be easier to start, finish, and track tasks. I do need to remember to eat as I had a very late lunch yestereday. Regular breaks are important. I might need to schedule those as well -- but don't want to put too much structure in at the start.

We'll see.

Deep Breath

Today was not as productive as I'd hoped. I'm really used to digging in and jamming things out (getting a lot done) in a day. Don't get me wrong. I did check off quite a few to-do's. I'm still getting used to the new routines and haven't formed enough patterns to things in a speedy way. Frustrating but a necessary learning process. Oh well, I'll eat my Wheaties and try again tomorrow. Onward and upward.

It's too quiet!!!

The cure for the quiet house:
http://www.bassjunkees.com/
Nice, high speed background music good for writing code or data entry.

Day 1 - Where to sit?

I'm back from three weeks of orientation on-site and ready to really start working from home.

First, about the orientation, three weeks sounded like a long time. Too long. But after having met all the folks I'll be working with and learning all the processes, procedures, tracking systems, and other job ins and outs I have to admit that three weeks was necessary. There was a lot to learn and I'm not sure I could have done that from a distance without being glued to the phone for 8 hours a day. It would have taken some webconferencing, screen sharing, and phone combo to get an equivalent experience. And I would have missed out on a lot of the office culture.

Short version: I had a funnel in my ear for three weeks, missed my husband terribly, but do see the necessity of working with the new employer F2F.

So back to day one. I've had a head cold and haven't had a chance to do my office prep as much as I'd hoped. The house is quiet - which makes me sleepy. And so my biggest question is: Where to sit? We have wireless, so my options are plentiful. Think I'll start off on the couch...

Welcome!

Our New Illustrated Webster's Dictionary defines a wirewalker as "one who performs feats of balancing, etc. upon a wire stretched in mid-air."

I've recently taken a job as a modern wirewalker -- telecommuting for the first time and balancing work and home in the same space. I'll use this blog to document my experiences and learn a few things along the way.

I hope to meet other telecommuters and those interested in virtual workspaces.

Welcome to my adventure...