This is my dream home office. I have this in my dream book and computer wallpaper. 🙂

Recently, Mashable.com published an online article on how to solve top pitfalls of working from home. In the article, four pitfalls and solutions were identified. One of the pitfalls was virtual assistants may bring “inevitable sense of isolation.”

Well, I’m going to be honest: one of the reasons why I want to work full-time at home is because I can no longer stand office politics and getting along with people who, for reasons I don’t know, are born negative. I believe in the saying, “you are the five people who you hang out everyday,” and so I try to either be positive or hang out with positive people. But the office really IS a corporate jungle – one really can’t find a lot of positive people around (I’m sorry to all the companies where I previously worked, but it’s true). I actually envision myself standing on top of my office table, with red high heels and red lipstick on the last day of work for my grand rant. Ok, I’m kidding on that last sentence.

On the other hand, I also thought of the “isolation” idea. I thought of what life would be working alone – just me and my computer, working on the outputs for the day, then checking Hollywood gossips and stalking at Facebook friends during the break. Interesting thought, right?

I know I can work well with others and alone. I have tried and tested myself on that after 11 years of working. But life would be utterly boring going solo. So when the isolation idea occurred, I immediately listed down things that I would do to fight loneliness:

1. That running club in Alabang every Thursday that I’m so raving to join? Hah! That would be a great Thursday night run with new running friends!

2. I’ll be the official events organizer of every circle of friends that I have. I’ll make sure we will meet once a month.

3. I’ll buy another computer for Skype, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest break during the day.

4. How about tutoring kids after school? I’d get to earn and learn with children at the same time!

5. I’ll enroll in Spanish Language Class and Cooking Class – that another set of new friends!

6. I’ll visit my former office mates for a short chat and let them see how great it is to work from home.

7. I’ll burn the phone lines and Skype. No SMS, just pure calls.

8. I’ll do once-a-month seminars for my church. That’s a great set of people.

9. Get to know the neighbors one by one (honestly, I don’t know some of my neighbors ever since I started working).

10. Oh well, I could sing my heart out loud in the house and sing “it doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone!”

So, is becoming a VA means isolating myself from the universe? Not for me!