Working for yourself is incredibly satisfying. You are your own boss, you get to schedule your own hours and you are responsible for your own success or failure. However, running your own business or being a freelancer can also be incredibly isolating. You might spend all day at home, sitting in front of your computer, looking the walls – if you’re not careful this can get pretty lonely and leads to a lack of accountability
Working for yourself is great but it can have some downsides if you don’t manage the isolation. Below I outline four general tips that can help limit isolation for those entrepreneurs that work from home.
Just get out of the house
Sometimes you just need to get out of the house. Join a coworking space – either with a membership or just pay to work from there for a day, work from a cafe (or even a food court in a shopping centre.) In a coworking space you’ll find networking opportunities but sometimes it is just the simple pleasure of seeing other people throughout your day that makes you feel a little less isolated. If you do decide to work from a cafe, remember that the owner is running a business. Make sure you buy some food and some coffee.
Join Social Networks
Most of the major social media platforms allow you to connect with other business owners – either one on one connections with individuals or through membership of different groups on these platforms – whether business related or around other hobbies or interests. Check out some of these groups and see which ones suit you. You need to be careful with social media sites though. Make sure that your time spent on these platforms is productive.You can lose hours on these platforms if you are not careful (and it’s in the best interest of these platforms to spend more time online as this is how they make their money – by convincing advertisers that you are spending lots of time on the platform they can charge more for it.)
Get to Networking Events
There are several platforms – online, local councils or others – where you can find lists of networking events to attend. Not all networking events are created equally. Some are better than others. The best ways to defeat isolation are to connect with like-minded people. You’ll face similar circumstances. This shared circumstance can help with rapport building.
There are many different types of networking groups – you could join a Service Organization like Rotary International or a strong contact network like BNI. You might decide that a Mastermind Group is best for you. There are plenty of other more casual options available to you if none of these suit. If you can’t find a networking event that suits what you want, then set up your own.
You can, and should, catch up with people in your network for one on one meetings. By helping those in your network succeed, they’ll want to help you succeed.
Exercise and eat healthily
Looking after your mental health is also an important way to avoid the effects of isolation. If you eat healthily and exercise regularly you’ll be happier and healthier. This will give you more energy and will mean that you are less likely to feel lonely.
Running your own business is incredibly rewarding but it can be lonely. It can be isolating. Connecting with like-minded individuals is important to help avoid this isolation. Sometimes your family and friends just don’t understand.
Also, see our post on Creating Accountability
