Health & Fitness
Patch Blog: Telecommuting Lessons
I've been working as a telecommuting writer/actress for the last five years. And I've learned a plenty. Like the fact that Craigslist is a lot like Russian roulette for telecommuters ...
I’ve been working as a telecommuting writer/actress for the last five years. And I’ve learned plenty.
Like the fact that you can write an entire ebook while sitting in a Panera Bread swilling hazelnut-flavored coffee. The biggest pro to this is the fact that the coffee is brewed fresh regularly by someone other than you.
Cons are the delicious pastries that you will feel pressured to buy after lingering long past the meal-time crowds and the loud girl that inevitably sits next to you every third visit. She does not know that everyone can hear her story about Mary Beth and Dan's big fight. And her mousy friend will not tell her.
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I've also learned that Craigslist is a lot like Russian roulette for telecommuters. I've recently landed an HGTV home makeover, which I can't really talk about yet, and a small blogging gig. And I've gotten wise to the amount of pornography made in Atlanta.
WORD TO THE NAIVE: when a Craigslist ad calls for “adult actresses,” it’s looking for pornstars, not thirty-something women eager to play a role other than the concerned mother or bubbly blonde. Okay, I thought they meant adult as opposed to child, not adult as in get naked and do things. Lucky for me, the guy I sent my headshot and resume to realized my error (and absence of nude pics) and sent me a quickie email explaining what would be required of me using a lot of "lols."
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But by far the best thing I've learned so far is that the old work adage - Dress for the job you want - fits me perfectly as a telecommuter. I want to dress any way I damn well please. Or not dress, if I want. Although I'll admit, I spiff up my attire a bit before heading to my favorite haunts. After all, you never know when your editor will be sitting smack dab in the middle of Java Monkey judging your long-johns-as-pants and slouchy toboggan. And then they will wonder if you really do have your finger on the pulse of current trends.
Got any good telecommuting tales for me? Leave a comment or shoot me an email. And check out my webseries, The Telecommuters. The pilot episode just debuted on YouTube and the next episode will air on Sunday, Feb. 12.
