How to Handle Working Alone When You’re a Social Butterfly


working alone

For many people, working alone from home is a dream come true. There’s no commute to work. No downtown parking to pay for. No office drama.

But what happens when you’re an extrovert who thrives in an office community who is more productive when there are other people around?

If you’ve come up against obstacles when working alone from home due to your social nature, take these tips to heart.

Build Your (Virtual) Community

Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you have to work alone. If you have employees or freelancers that you work with, consider holding weekly meetings (or more if you can justify needing to meet face-to-face frequently) either at your office or the local coffee shop. Even if you don’t need to meet, it can help you knit your team together if you spend some time together in person.

Beyond physically meeting, set up communication tools so you can support one another. Video calls can be more personal than phone calls, and Google Hangouts or a chat app can help you communicate in real time (rather than an email that can sit in your Inbox for hours).

Get Out of the Office

If you’re going stir crazy from being in your home office too long, pack up your laptop and head to a coffee shop, park, or library for a change of scenery. If you’ve got the flexibility to make anywhere your office, the sky’s the limit.

You can also take a break by participating in local networking groups. This is a great way to meet other business owners, and maybe even other people who work from home like you. And hey, you never know: you might meet a potential client at an event!

Meet Clients

Even if you don’t need to meet your clients face-to-face (like a marketing consultant who works primarily online), it’s a good idea. Interacting with your clients gives you the opportunity to get to know them better, as well as find additional ways you can serve them.

When you only communicate via email and phone, you miss out on the nuances of an in-person conversation. Plus, it gets you out of the house.

Check Out Collab Space

There are tons of new co-working spaces sprouting up all across the nation. These are simply large office spaces that you and other entrepreneurs can work from. They’re great if you occasionally need a meeting room to meet with clients and your home is not an option.

Some charge a per-visit fee, while others have a monthly membership. The added perk is that you can meet fellow business owners and collaborate with them in interesting ways.

As a social butterfly, you need to be around people. Don’t worry; just because you’re working alone from home doesn’t mean you have to isolate yourself. You can create plenty of opportunities, online and off, to connect with others so that you never feel alone.

Butterfly Photo via Shutterstock

CorpNet offers business formations, filings, state tax registrations, and corporate compliance services in all 50 states. Express and 24 hour rush filing services available upon request. Click here to learn more.

3 Comments ▼

Nellie Akalp Nellie Akalp is a passionate entrepreneur, recognized business expert and mother of four. She is the CEO of CorpNet, the smartest way to start a business, register for payroll taxes, and maintain business compliance across the United States.

3 Reactions
  1. I use some of your tipa when I have to work at home. For me it’s important not to sit at my home office all day long but to change the surroundings.

  2. Great tips. Not only for extroverts. By nature, I’m a “house mouse”. But I find I feel better when I push myself to do the activities you wrote about. It’s important for teleworkers not to isolate themselves, regardless of personality type.