As a four-year employee with Lucid Books, I have experienced a variety of events and opportunities that have helped me develop my skills, accelerate my career, and grow the business. Working remotely has been the most valuable experience and opportunity that has helped me achieve the aforementioned feats. It specifically has taught me how to create a flexible schedule, how to remain oriented and focused, and the importance of person-to-person interaction. The following paragraphs will discuss each lesson in detail.
How to Create a Flexible Schedule
Working from home has allowed me to create my own schedule which can be pretty sweet. I can sleep in until ten, eat some breakfast, watch some sports, go golfing with the guys…and then get started on work while my kids are getting home from school! Is this how your day goes? Without creating a schedule, this is what has happened sometimes. It may sound fun at first, but it can add stress on my work deadlines and stress on my family.
While working from home can be detrimental to some (like the above example), this has been a boon to me because I thrive off of planning my day to the hour. I’ve found that you can’t just throw out your schedule, and that you actually need to be more disciplined about when you work. Creating a flexible schedule is key to running a business from home. With over 20+ clients, each requiring detailed attention, I have learned how to create a schedule that maximizes my time with each client and ensures I am able to have family time. The ability to have a flexible schedule allows me to prioritize the important things and fill in the remaining time with the needful things.
How to Remain Oriented and Focuses
Before I started working at Lucid Books, my previous work experience was in a brick-and-mortar operation where supervisors provided detailed instruction. All I had to do was what my supervisors told me to do and the business thrived! Running a business in my home setting is completely different because my work ethic decides how fast the business can grow. While working from home, I have had to develop tasks for each client, establish deadlines, and create a procedure for accountability and feedback. While at the brick-and-mortar job, accountability was enforced by direct supervision, but at home, I had to learn to drive that. While there will be some adjusting, working from home can be an exciting adventure as you learn how to complete your responsibilities in a manner that is fun and constructive.
The Importance of Person-to-Person Interaction
My colleagues at Lucid Books all live within an hour from my home. While I have enjoyed working from home and managing my own schedule, I have learned the importance of having contact with my colleagues, in person. Over the last few months, I have scheduled a few times each month to visit the office and work alongside my partner at Lucid Books. Not only do we discuss business related matters, but we catch up on each other’s family and discuss the relevant points of the NBA playoffs! It’s tough to catch up on such topics when you aren’t in person. Before doing this, it was difficult to remember the importance of producing good work and why I was working for my boss. Interacting with colleagues provides a refreshed perspective on our mission and goals and adds motivation to work. In addition, it has promoted a strong friendship which helps when times get tough.
Conclusion
My time at Lucid Books has been rewarding and full of rich experiences. The ability to plan my own schedule and orienting my focus towards my client’s needs, has helped to grow the business and develop me as a profession. The biggest takeaway is the occasional person-to-person interaction. Working in a hybrid model provides the benefits of both worlds and allows me to incorporate family and hobby time into my work week.
