Introverts Who Work From Home Know These 7 Truths About Their Jobs
Being introverted is a life-long tussle of juggling personal thoughts, considering what everyone else is thinking, always waiting for the exact right moment to say or do something, relishing in the moments of alone time, then mulling over all these decisions at a later time. In terms of career trajectory, how does that come into effect?
Now, this is not to say introverts are unsuccessful mutes that blindly follow orders. You can find countless articles about the highly successful introverted CEO’s out there.
This is, however, a look at a work environment that can “liberate” the typical introvert from not only themselves but from the idea they have to wait for others to lead the charge so to speak. Freelance work puts an introverted person in a position to speak with conviction, and most of all, from an environment they continually crave to be in. Personally, as an introvert, I’ve heard it all, whether professional or social situations. People want to know why I’m not talking, what I’m holding back and then are surprised when it finally comes out. After working freelance for the past year, these are the reasons I’ve found have freed me to be all I can and should be within my career path.
As a remote worker, you can't slide into the background of conversations and pretend to just be listening and taking it all in. As a remote worker, nobody will speak for you because you're not there to back up whatever they may claim on your behalf. Any communication you want out there, you need to initiate, which can be tough as an introvert, but that's the point of this liberation from yourself, of sorts.
2. You have to speak up, and often…
In conjunction with being the only one who will speak for you, you must also put your thoughts out there, probably more often than those in the office, just so that the things you do don't slip away as if they never occurred. Also, it just makes you feel sane to continually put communication out there, rather than being alone with your thoughts continually.
It's easier for your ideas and pitches, especially being a writer such as myself, to be overlooked or pushed to the back burner when people aren't putting a face to your work. People forget you even said something, or dismiss it more readily due to this fact, so you have to be bold and remind them what you've done it good work.
Introverts don't mind letting others set things in motion for them, but when you're a remote worker (and introverted), if you take a moment to look around, nobody is around to get the ball rolling for you. This leads us back to points #1 and #2, in the fact that it's up to you to get your work or ideas out there.
It's actually easier and creatively freeing as an introvert to be a remote worker in this right, because you're not looking over your shoulder to see if someone is judging you for the things you're working on. You just do it, and you know what you're doing is what's right, i.e point #3 all over again.
As an introvert, being surrounded by people can be cumbersome and hinder your productivity. Liberating yourself from such an environment and instead working remotely will open up the floodgates on your thought processes. At this point, you realize you've been more than capable in your field but just needed to find the right workplace (i.e. your home).
Finally, in a more humorous sense, as an introvert, you may find yourself trying to avoid social situations on a frequent basis. If people know you're a remote worker, your excuses may be easier to swallow in the fact they may just assume you need time to get some more work done at the office. It's the ultimate social tool introverts can pull out at any moment, if needed.