With the pandemic, it hasn’t felt too much like I am working for myself because my daughter has been home since March!

Today she left for school for her Junior year, driving herself. About 30 minutes later my husband left for work. It dawned on me that I would have the whole house to myself for the entire day.

Now some of you may be thinking “That sounds terrible!” For me it’s heaven. I wanted to leave corporate America to gain totally flexibility in my schedule but also to work independently. Now, I do have a part time job that will require some group communication. But overall, I will be by myself (with the exception of my dog Pete).

But how do you know what the best work environment is for you?

Take a personality test to learn your work preferences

If you aren’t sure what your working environment preferences are, I recommend taking a personality test to gain some insight. Also, they are so fun! Maybe that’s just me but I take them for entertainment too :). My favorite one, that is pretty comprehensive and totally free is 16 Personalities.

Fill it out and see what you learn about the working environment that’s best for your personality. This site is great because it also includes a free career section. It can be helpful to see if you are in the right career for your personality and tells you what working environment you would do best in.

My daughter likes to point out this isn’t a scientific test. I agree, but it’s super helpful as long as you answer the questions honestly. If you are slightly obsessed like me, you may want to take it a couple of times to make sure you get the same profile. This is why I don’t like the Ennegram, I literally get a different profile every time!

Use journaling to determine the best working environment

If taking a personality test isn’t your jam or if you just want to dive deeper, try journaling to tap into your intuition. This is a great way to see if working from home is right for you. Ask yourself questions like:

• What stresses me out?

• Do I prefer working alone or in teams?

• Am I someone who needs a lot of direction or do I tend to go on my own?

• Can I structure my day on my own? Or do I prefer someone guiding me?

• Do I prefer a steady paycheck or can I handle the uncertainty of inconsistent work?

It’s important to be honest with yourself here, just like with the personality test. No one is going to read this, it’s for your eyes only!

Try out a few different ways to work

Along with the intellectual methods to determine what you like to do, think back to experiences you have had. Think about your current job if you have one, or any job really. What tasks did you enjoy? Which ones did you despise?

Did you like the way the team was set up? Was there a lot of interaction? What are your feelings about how you were expected to work?

Was a traditional in the office setting where you had to be in for set times? How did you like it?

If you could change one thing about the way your work environment was, what would it be?

Experience is probably the best predictor to how you like to work. Sometimes we think we like to work one way, but the reality is totally different.

Once you have a clear idea on the type of working environment you like and aren’t as keen on, determine if your current situation meets your wants and needs. If it doesn’t, it’s time to make a change.

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