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Could You Work Well From Home

Could You Work Well From Home

How often do you stay late at work?

  • a) Regularly.
  • b) Only if I have to meet a deadline.
  • c) Never.

Do you enjoy working as part of a team?

  • a) No; I don’t like to rely on anyone else.
  • b) Yes, but I also enjoy working independently.
  • c) Yes. It means I can off-load tasks onto others.

How do you plan your daily tasks?

  • a) I write out a schedule and stick to it.
  • b) I make a list of the most important tasks and hope to remember the others.
  • c) I tackle jobs as they come up.

What do you do when faced with many projects at once?

  • a) I get on with the most important ones first.
  • b) I choose the most interesting job and start on that.
  • c) I start several tasks and continue with the easiest one.

How organised is your work space?

  • a) Very. I know where everything is.
  • b) Fairly. I have been known to lose things.
  • c) Not at all. I don’t think about the state of my desk.

How would you describe your relationship with your colleagues?

  • a) Lukewarm. I keep myself to myself.
  • b) Good. It is professional and friendly.
  • c) Great. I love the camaraderie of the office.

How do you react to unexpected difficulties?

  • a) I am methodical and try to deal with the problem from its source outwards.
  • b) I try to follow solutions to similar problems in the past.
  • c) I am not a great problem-solver and so I panic.

How would you describe the process of delegation?

  • a) I see it as laziness. If a job comes your way, it is up to you to deal with it.
  • b) It is an important process for the development of yourself and your staff.
  • c) It is a useful tool. If you haven’t got time to do something, pass it on!

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a = 1
b = 2
c = 3

Now add up your scores.

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  • 6–11: In many ways, you are ideally suited to working from home. You like to work independently and have no difficulty motivating yourself. In fact, the only problem might be that you would never switch off; you must think carefully about scheduling time for yourself. Ensure that you put some parameters around your working time. You may also have a tendency to isolate yourself from others. When you work at home, it is important to keep in touch with key colleagues and contacts.
  • 12–19: You appear to have a balanced attitude to your working life and should adjust well to working from home. Do not underestimate, however, the upheaval of adjusting to a new routine; you should lay down careful foundation plans. Also, you may need some help prioritising your tasks when you are on your own.
  • 20–24: You thrive on working with others and should think very carefully about whether you would make a smooth transition to working from home. You will have to work hard to motivate yourself and you may feel isolated. See how you can contribute to a team even if you’re not in an office.

This article features in Work Well From Home from the series of everywoman Simple Approach to Business guides.