Get “Take Control of Working from Home Temporarily” for Free

The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has forced many people to start working from home, which will help promote social distancing and slow the infection rate. But as attractive as working from home might seem, it comes with its own set of challenges. To help you cope, our friends at Take Control Books brainstormed and drafted topics that Glenn Fleishman wrote up in a new, free book: Take Control of Working from Home Temporarily.

The 55-page book is designed for those who are suddenly confronted with the realities of telecommuting. It starts by talking about staking out a physical space in your home, equipping it with furniture that provides decent ergonomics, and choosing gear and apps you’ll need for audio calls and videoconferencing. Although it may already be hard to acquire what you need, it won’t get any easier in the near future.

For those who haven’t worked from home before, much of the difficulty comes in creating the necessary psychological separation from your home life, particularly if you have a partner, roommates, or an extended family. Parenting while telecommuting is tough too, and Tonya Engst contributed the bulk of a chapter on that topic, based on two decades of experience having our son Tristan around while running TidBITS Publishing.

Finally, it’s all too easy when working at home to go heads-down for way too many hours. So the book encourages you to be kind to yourself when it comes to taking breaks, not replacing a commute with more work, and making time for exercise.

Thanks to all who contributed, and particular kudos to Glenn for turning this book out so quickly and to Take Control publisher Joe Kissell, who edited and produced the book and who is making it available for free.