Working from home is a current large trend that is taking the country by storm. It’s not very widespread yet, so those who get ahead of the game and get started early will have the biggest advantage. One of the ways to do this is to make sure that you have the tools you need to succeed from the comfort of your house.
Cloud Service-Dropbox
This can be something like Google Drive or Dropbox. Cloud services allow you to sync files across all of your computers, and they also allow for easy collaboration with other people on the Internet who can get files from you and vica versa, as well as get instant updates of any file you change. In point of fact, many online businesses will require you to have something like a Google Drive account in order to work with them at all since that’s how they do online collaboration. So it makes sense to get ahead of the game. But even beyond that, people who work at home may need to switch from computer to computer on occasion. They may even want to periodically work outside the home at a coffee shop, or at a friend’s house or abroad. In these cases, having all of your files instantly update and sync is something of a necessity.
Video Conferencing-Skype
Space may separate people who work online, but it doesn’t have to be a barrier to face to face communication. A tool like Skype or any other VoIP solution with video options is also something of a necessity for anyone who works at home because it allows for free phone calls for one thing. It also means that you can do interviews with potential employers even if you aren’t in the same location as well.
Note-Taking: Evernote
When you work at home, you won’t actually spend every minute in your home. There may be times when you have to go out for whatever reason, or even when you aren’t just at your computer. An app like Evernote will let you take our your smartphone and immediately jot down a note or something that you might’ve forgotten to do during your work day earlier It also works on regular PC for quick note-taking and organizing.
Phone Tools
A telephone answer service is also something you’ll really need to work from home. After all, if multiple people need to call you at once, then you’ll be out of luck if all you have is a real life, physical answering machine. This way you can keep on top of anyone who’s trying to reach you while you’re away. This can happen pretty frequently when you’re working at home, after all. And it’s not like you’re going to want to be reachable by phone for work every second of the day, so a good phone answering service will let you enact a bit more control over your life so you don’t feel stressed out all the time.