This week we’re talking about how to survive working alone. If you are used to working with a large staff suddenly working alone from home can be a little hard to get used to. (Kind of like an airplane suddenly dropping 2000 feet can be difficult to adjust to.) So I’m sharing some things I’m learning in my newfound work-from-home experience.
Get the right equipment
If you can afford the right equipment it will keep you from screaming non-holy words as you bang your head against the wall. When I worked on a church staff we had an IT department that fixed computers and unjammed copiers. Now I’m the IT department and I’m really not very good at my job. Here’s my recommended equipment:
Get a Mac. I was a PC for many years. I built them, I fixed them, I trained people how to use them. I once had breakfast with Ron Johnson, the guy who invented the Apple Store, and proudly informed him of my Mac loathing. (I never claimed to be smart.) Two years ago I became a Mac. I still have the same computer because it still works. Get a Mac because Macs tend to work. PCs tend to keep IT departments in business.
Get the fastest, most reliable Internet connection you can afford. This will save you, on average, 123.5 hours per month in staring at the computer wondering why you can’t connect. Having a cheap internet connection is like saving money by not buying gas and pushing your car around town. You have a need, a need for speed.
Get a smartphone. You too should be addicted to email, texts, Twitter and Facebook. If you work alone you really have to have a smartphone so you can connect wherever you are. Although I currently have an Android you should probably get an iPhone. Androids tend to like IT Departments, iPhones tend to work.
Get a wireless HP Scanner/Printer/Copier. HP has been making printers since Moses needed a hard copy of the Ten Commandments. Like a Mac they tend to work and since you have to fix what’s broke don’t take chances. And if its wireless you can continue to work while pretending to watch chick flicks late at night with your bride. I don’t recommend this, but you will need to do it anyway.
What equipment helps you get the job done from home?
