Working from home really is great and most of us are quite happy to get up every morning and go to work just down the hall. But, cabin fever does set in occasionally and if you find yourself longing to schedule a frivolous meeting just to get outside and talk to someone other than your dog, here are a few ideas that might help when the walls are closing in. :

-- Take a walk. Not just for the exercise, which is great, but walking actually helps solve problems. Many times, I go for a walk and when I get back to my desk, I can think much more clearly and work more efficiently.

-- Go to the library. Remember libraries? Take along some work, or do some research. You’ll be in an almost-office-like setting, surrounded by other people, but it’s quiet enough to work.

-- Feed your brain. Too often, business owners focus so much on business that there is no smelling of roses. Take a half day, or even just a few hours and go on a learning journey. If you like art, go to a museum. If you like flowers, go to a botanic garden. If you like nature, go to the park. Animals? The zoo. The list is endless. Just go somewhere off your beaten path.

--Volunteer. A couple of hours a month spent reading to sick children or singing with nursing home patients can give you much-needed human contact and provide a nice interaction for them. They need you, and you need them. Getting outside your head and focusing on someone else is a great way to forget about your own problems for awhile.

--Take an offline class. You can take a class in hydroponics at the local university or learn yoga at the community center. Even a class on business is a great idea, because it both gets you out of the home office, and helps you run your business better.

You already have the time for these and other “field trips”. If you spent 10 minutes commuting, that’s 100 minutes a week you have available for adding more joy and getting rid of some more stress. And, use the money you would have spent for gas for admission or other fees, lunches and photo developing!

Regular field trips will keep you from running back to a regular job just so you don’t go stir crazy. Plus, no doubt about it: they will make your time spent working more productive. Happy, de-stressed people work better. Enjoy!

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