| I'm not the original person you are asking, but over a 27 year career in IT, I've worked from home for 17 of them. Here's how I stayed social. First, I used the time you would spend commuting or going out to lunch to get non-work chores done. I'd do laundry in the morning when I'd otherwise be in the car. I cut the grass or worked out during lunch, etc. I'd already be fixing dinner during everyone else's evening drive time. That freed up my weekday evenings to be social, since I wasn't in after work commute-cook-chores hell. I'd spend time at programming language groups; taking classes related to hobbies (brewing, a little woodworking); going out with friends to nice restaurants on Wednesdays when they weren't crowded; and doing some social volunteering. I got involved in running a couple of software conferences and joined a wine-and-movies social club. I found—since I am a "gregarious introvert"—that not having to be around coworkers all day left me more energized to socialize with friends and family in the evenings. And instead of a social circle dominated by coworkers, I have one that provides interactions with people from all walks of life, and have friends scattered around the globe to visit when I retire. If you plan well and work at it, you can be more social working from home. |