Things that I love about working from home:
- Bad Hair Days are inconsequential
- I can work from the comfiest seat in the house (the right-hand side of the sectional in the family room)
- Coffee breaks are whenever I require them
- I can (mostly) work around everyone else’s schedules
Nearly all of my client interaction is via email or occasionally via phone. Rarely I’ll participate in a Skype chat. Live, in-person meetings are few and very far between, but I’m currently working with an author who loves to meet face-to-face for coffee and discussion on her projects.
So this morning I thanked my lucky stars that I was having a Good Hair Day and hopped on the Go Train to head downtown. I missed rush hour so I had a quiet car on which to knit. (Dedicated knitting time is one of the only things I miss about a daily commute.)
I had forgotten how much more quickly concepts can be communicated when you’re sitting together, both looking at the same page. What may have taken three or four emails to clarify could be nailed down almost immediately and we both left the meeting able to focus on our individual next steps.
While I would never want to give up working from home, today’s meeting really reminded me that sometimes it is worth the extra effort to spend some in-person time with people. And do you want to know what else makes the extra effort worthwhile?
Meeting right next to a Starbucks! Hello, caffeine!