It is hard to believe that it is November already. This time of year brings to mind thoughts of celebrations with family and friends. Since I used to work outside of the home, this time of year also brings to mind thoughts of office holiday parties. While I never worked anywhere where we went off site to have lavish parties, I did attend a few nice workplace holiday gatherings.
Those of us that work from home do not have to miss out on the holiday fun. It is important that we “get out” regularly during every time of year, to network and interact with other home based workers in our communities or other professionals in our field. If we do not seek opportunities to get out into the community, we are not only missing out on valuable networking opportunities, we risk becoming isolated. While I certainly enjoy the solace of working by myself for myself, I also crave regular interaction with other professionals. Those of us that are work at home parents may understand this as the “adult conversation” factor – the need for time to talk to other adults about things not related to children, such as business.
The holidays are a great time to get together with other professionals that work from home. One way to do this is to host a holiday gathering for work at home professionals in your local area. It does not have to be anything fancy, a cookie swap or potluck is an easy and inexpensive way to get people together for an afternoon or evening of fun. If you already know a few people in your area that work from home, great. Begin by talking to them about your idea. They may know other work at home professionals that would like to attend. If you do not know anyone, ask your local Chamber of Commerce if they know of any work at home professionals.
If this time of year gets you in a festive mood, consider getting together with other home-based professionals in your area. You may end up meeting some wonderful professional resources and having a great time.