Home-Based Work Excellence During the CoronaVirus

On this still and quiet morning when the rest of our nation, cities, and globe retreat from public contact into their own private spaces to work, live and breathe, everyone is trying to work professionally in a new normal by being isolated from others. A majority of people are still mentally distracted from the healthcare crisis even when working in relaxed clothing, on their own timelines, and connected to others only by technology and phone away from public workspaces. The unknown is here and we are squarely planted in its midst. If we never thought we were “social animals” before this fast approaching new normal reminds us we are.

Unlike professionals today, I started my first business as a home-based business in 1995 when it wasn’t normal to work from home. I hid the fact from new clients never wanting them to assume I was less professional because I operated out of my large home with a dedicated office. The technology was just coming to the age to allow women like me to work from home but it was not as widespread or accepted twenty-five years ago. A couple other women entrepreneurs and I now call ourselves “pioneers in home-based business” looking back now, but oh how the times have changed – and changed for the better in light of today’s quiet morning when most of my fellow Americans are working from home.

What I learned long ago about being successful being a home-based working professional is best read in this Pearl Buck quote, “The secret to joy in work is contained in one word- excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.” Excellence for me meant excellent communication, excellence in work principles and ethics, excellence in self-management and work discipline, and excellence in services. Did I find joy in working casually dressed from home in the comfort of my own space? Yes, I did but the casual nature of my environment never crept into a casual nature on conducting excellence in business. Rising above client expectations and delivering the best services was of utmost importance to me no matter my surroundings. My clients all learned working from a home-based office did not matter when it came to the professionalism of my approach and delivery of my end product.

And yes, I found joy in my work as quiet as it could be sometimes when my two sons were at school and I had the house all to myself. I also found joy in my day when they came home and I could turn off my computer after a dedicated day to work. Living a balanced home and work life was essential for me to remain happy as a working mother inside my own walls while growing my company and mothering my growing sons. It is possible to find joy in working from home, isolating oneself from the unnecessary restrictions of a formal office setting, and defining for oneself their “normal.” This is what I wish for everyone having to work from home during this Coronavirus crisis.

Today’s Wednesday Wisdom is to remind you no matter where you work or within the four walls of any office space, you can find joy in your job especially when you maintain excellence in your attitude, ethics, communication, and promises. Like anything new, a small adjustment period might need to occur but before long, new ways become standard practices and work becomes more normal. Instead of taking your “lunch hour” in your kitchen, take your lunch hour like I have done for years by walking or running outside, reading quietly in the sunshine, taking an online course, or writing. You deserve that lunch hour and when you have it you return to work ready to work until the end of the day. If you have children at home, structure your days so they and you have time frames for both work, learning, and playtime.