Negotiated partial telecommute, but now what?

[mdos]

I work in the IT field, writing firewall software mostly. My virtual presence is all that's really needed, so I recently negotiated a three day per week telecommute. This is a huge step for me toward freedom as I've never even thought of it before 4HWW.

The problem is, I end up spending most of my working hours actually *doing* stuff -- writing code and troubleshooting is kind of time consuming. My other issue is that I'm kind of expected to be available on IM. I have tried to eliminate all non-essential activity and 80/20 my work, but I've noticed that when it seems that my virtual presence isn't constant my boss likes to call, IM, etc.

So I have a couple of questoins:
- As one of many software guys that clocks too many hours, how can I 80/20 my job and still get it done?
- How do I get folks to just chill when I'm not immediately available?

[adam.sn]

Indicate to your boss that you like to work distraction free and turn your phone & IM off because too many other people message and call you.

Then hire an outsourced employee to write the code for you. :)

Cheers
- Adam

[mdos]

Indicate to your boss that you like to work distraction free and turn your phone & IM off because too many other people message and call you.

Then hire an outsourced employee to write the code for you. :)

Cheers
- Adam

Thanks for the reply. Are you serious about the outsourced employee? The fact that this product is a security product notwithstanding, I shudder to think about the hand-holding and effort that would have to take place just to get someone else up to speed. But the logistics of how to even send the work to them in a state that they could do something with it, I don't know how I could possibly pull that off (ethical and security issues aside).

[adam.sn]

Hmm... well I have quite a bit of experience with outsourced work and have NEVER had a problem with security.

What you could do is record yourself with a screen recording application showing what needs to be done each week, then hand the work over to them.

Of course you'd have to interview people before commencing the work... but it is one viable option.

As an example... I'm about to give my VA access to my business paypal account... which could be a big risk, but she's been with me for over 6 months and hasn't given me any reason to doubt her.

The important part is finding someone you can trust.

If it's the technical side of things, I can help you with that (as far as finding employees, anyway)

Cheers
- Adam

[Ceejee]

Slowly make your virtual presence smaller every day. For example, try to be off IM 30 minutes less every week. Move slowly with this to gauge your boss' reaction. You have to understand that is new for him, and you're going to have to train him to be more effective/efficient in his communication for you. Maybe even give him a copy of 4HWW? :)

I do not like the idea of outsourcing the code writing if it is for a security company. It could work out, but there is substantial downside - losing your job, lawsuits for exposing company secrets, etc.

Perhaps most importantly, have an idea of what you want to do with your free time. It's fine if you're cutting back work solely for the sake of cutting back on work, but if there is a light at the end of the tunnel you will be much more motivated during the day.

[mdos]

Hmm... well I have quite a bit of experience with outsourced work and have NEVER had a problem with security.

What you could do is record yourself with a screen recording application showing what needs to be done each week, then hand the work over to them.

Of course you'd have to interview people before commencing the work... but it is one viable option.

As an example... I'm about to give my VA access to my business paypal account... which could be a big risk, but she's been with me for over 6 months and hasn't given me any reason to doubt her.

The important part is finding someone you can trust.

If it's the technical side of things, I can help you with that (as far as finding employees, anyway)

Cheers
- Adam
Hi Adam,

When I speak of security issues, I mean that in order for this VA to be able to do any meaningful work, they'd have to be logged into our systems via VPN, which will require me to give them passwords, etc. As Ceejee mentions, I'm also concerned about the substantial downside of lawsuits, termination, etc. If found out I'm sure I would be gone.

The other side of it is, of course, that I won't really know what's going on to the level of detail that I'll need to for giving status updates on things. I'm a relatively major part of a rather small team. I'm afraid the time freed up by outsourcing will be spent worrying, and that sucks.

I mentioned in another thread that I've got lots of ideas to develop a muse, but am kind of lost with where to go with them. If I had a little guidance on how to bring something to market in a cost effective way (without damaging my relationship with my employer while promoting it), while trying to 80/20 my responsibilities in a way that makes sense and frees up time to work my muse, that would be awesome.

People have created muses in my situation before, and nobody can work in a totally focused manner for 10 hours per day, so I'm sure there are ways for me to improve both of my sticking points. Thanks for any input (especially what you've already provided!!).

[Ceejee]

I'm just starting out, and Adam has loads more experience than me so maybe he can comment, but I think the best way to start off with your first muse is to focus on what you already know. In many cases, this subject may not be the most ideal keyword/market to be focusing on, but so far I have found that working with a subject I already have expertise in makes the process much easier. Once I become familiar with the process and gain experience in internet marketing, I'm confident I will be able to begin working on different and other exciting things.

For you... you say that you work within security. I know that the common PC user has no idea about this subject, typically installing Norton and being done with it. Here are a few ideas:

E-book related to properly securing a home network
Do's and Dont's of browsing the web
Review service of packaged security software


I'm sure you could hammer out quality content on any of these subjects. As how to actually market your product once you begin working on it... ask elsewhere, since I'm still trying to figure that out too :P

[jonnyk]

I too have just started working remotely on a full time basis. I will be able to do my job in 4 hours instead of 8 by eliminating non-essential tasks. I still need to appear to be available during the other 4 hours so I am implementing evoice and awayfind. Second, my new cell and/or tablet pc will be able to connect to skype (our primary communication), email and be able to give a power point presentation no matter where I am at. Just some thoughts for you, maybe these will work for you as well. I have also started training on meetings. I have started with making sure there is an agenda and phone calls get straight to the point or I tell them I am too busy to talk. Same scenario can be for IM as well.