I have been working from home for almost 2 years now and while the concept of a home office has been around a long time, the pandemic has made many organizations revaluate work. Today I have author Barbori Garnet with me and she is sharing about and from her book, Home at the Office: Working Remotely as a Way of Life. Let’s take a look.
Get to know the author: Barbori
Welcome to Armed with A Book, Barbori! Tell me and my readers a bit about yourself!
I am a writer and author of Home at the Office: Working Remotely as a Way of Life (Atmosphere Press, September 2021), artist, musician, and gardener based in Alberta. I enjoy writing non-fiction and write on remote work, home offices, gardening, and more.
Throughout the years, I have worked several different work-from-home and remote jobs including: pet sitting, marketing assistant, and music instructor.
I have a BFA in Painting & Drawing from Academy of Art University and an MA Communications in Public Relations from Southern New Hampshire University.
What inspired you to write this book?
After having gained experience working remotely and starting my own business, I was inspired to write my book and share what I had learned. I was also inspired by the experiences of other remote workers which is why I decided to include interviews with them in my book.
How long did it take you to write this book, from the first idea to the last edit?
From the first idea in spring 2017 to the last edit in summer 2021, it took over four years to write the book. Throughout this time, I learned a lot about writing, editing, and – with the publishing of my book in 2021 – the process of book design, layout, and cover design.
What makes your book unique?
What I think makes my book unique, and what readers will like and find inspiring, are the ten interviews with remote workers from across North America and the hands-on workbook section. These two parts of my book will show readers that home offices come in a variety of locations, sizes, and styles, and the workbook provides space to write down their own thoughts and ideas on working from home.
Who would enjoy reading your book?
Readers who are looking for flexibility, freedom, and independence in their work hours and schedule, lifestyle, and mindset would enjoy reading my book. Whether people want to work from home so that they could spend more time with their children and family, or travel, or save more for retirement, or pay down debt, my book encourages readers to create the work and lifestyle that is the best fit for them and their goals.
What’s something you hope readers would take away from it?
I hope that readers will take away from my book that working from home provides the individual with the option to have a flexible schedule, freedom to create the lifestyle that works for them, and independence – with time and effort – to start and build a business or transition to working remotely for a company.
Do you have a favourite quote or scene in the book that you find yourself going back to?
My favourite sections are the interviews with remote workers and making working from home work through any age and stage of life because they are filled with possibility and encouragement.
Home at the Office: Working Remotely as a Way of Life
What if I told you that working remotely can lead to increased freedom, flexibility, and independence in your life?
Home at the Office: Working Remotely as a Way of Life will help you:
- Work remotely through any age and stage of life
- Understand the work-from-home mindset
- Learn the skills and character traits needed for remote work
- Discover the 7 different types of working from home
- Gain insights and secrets into how 10 extraordinary workers from home across North America succeed and face challenges in their remote work
Bringing over 10 years of work-from-home experience in writing, marketing, and music, Barbori Garnet invites you to join her as she shares how you can enjoy the rewards of freedom, flexibility, and independence found by working remotely.
Resources included in the book:
- Book Recommendations
- Job Search Websites
Book Club Discussion Guide to help facilitate discussions for book clubs and groups
Content notes: None declared by the author.
Book Excerpt from
Home at the Office: Working Remotely as a Way of Life
Chapter 1: Working from Home as a Way of Life
Because work affects our lives in many ways, it is important that it enables us to live the way the we envision and that is right for us. Work should not be a pursuit that leaves us feeling drained or makes us stressed just thinking about going to work the next day. In fact, it should be quite the opposite. Work must be an occupation that raises us up and brings us energy when we engage in its activities, whether that is for a few short hours or several hours long. It should be an engaging activity which blends in, rather than clashes, with other aspects of our lives.
That is what working from home is – it is work that fits with how and where you live, and with whom you live. Working from home allows you to design and complement your work environment with the rest of your personal reality: family, friends, hobbies, goals, and all.
It is a Way of Life
A Way of Life
Working from home is a way of life. It gives you, the individual, as much freedom of choice, flexibility, and independence as possible. You can choose how many hours a week to work, whether 10, 20, or 35 hours. It gives you flexibility to decide when you want to work – the time of day, the days, or parts of the year.
Independence is yours by giving you the choice to work from home as a business owner, as a freelancer, on contract, or for a company. In self-employed remote work as a way of life, you will also need to exercise independence in making decisions on what business services and products to offer and being open to adapting as circumstances change.
If you have previously worked at jobs where nine to five was expected, it may be overwhelming to think about the choice you have in deciding how many hours and what time of the day you want to work. For now, begin to notice what times of the day you are most focused, most productive, and do your best work, or when you are drained of energy. Later in this book, we will talk more about finding your natural biorhythm and making it flow into your life.
Time
We are each gifted with the same 24 hours in a day to get things done and engage in personally fulfilling activities. How we use the time we are given is what matters and what will ultimately make a difference.
The beautiful thing about working from home is that it gives you more hours to allocate as you see fit. There will be time saved commuting and fewer long or unnecessary meetings.
How are you going to use the extra time you now have control over, even if it is just 30 minutes or one hour each day? Would you enjoy unrushed mealtimes with your family, drop off and pick up the kids from school, develop a hobby or further grow your business, or go outside for a walk, hike, a game of tennis, or garden?
Perhaps, by working from home, you may decide to work part-time outside the home. This may provide you with the perfect balance of interacting with others while also being there for family. Or maybe, by getting to know your kids as you work from home, you might decide that homeschooling would be a good idea for them and the whole family. Whatever it is that you want to do, remote work will give you the time needed to do it.
Interested?
Connect with Barbori on Twitter and Facebook, Head to her website where you can sign up for her newsletter as well. Follow on Goodreads and Amazon for bookish updates!
If you are an indie author and would like to do a book excerpt, check out my work with me page for details.
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