“Isolation is the sum total of wretchedness to a man.”~ Thomas Carlyle

A few years ago, working from home was considered a fad. Home offices are becoming a reality for millions of Americans as companies look to trim costs and attract talent. Some statistics put employer savings at an annual $11,000 and a 13 percent increase in productivity per employee when one’s office is at home. The attraction of commuting from bedroom to home office is a no-brainer, but is it as easy as it sounds? For someone on the track to top performance, the answer isn’t easy at all.

The tips and tricks you will find in articles about working from home rarely address the isolation that stems from a home office. One commonly held trait in top performers is the need to socialize. We thrive in collaborative environments and draw strength from the energy interpersonal contact generates. Locking yourself away in a home office cuts of an important element that elevates our game beyond our peers. No matter how many video conferences or phone calls we make in a day, there’s no replacing human contact.

Top performance is never an all about you proposition. Top performance is a people proposition. The danger of staying chained to your desk is turning your career into a version of Jack Nicholson in The Shining. So when you’re not feeling connected to the world, get out. Walk around the block, go to your apartment’s common area and strike up a conversation, visit a coffee shop, but do something to reinvigorate your prime energy source. Simply being around others for a few minutes should get you back on track to greatness no matter where your office is located.

Consider this …

1. Take some time to visit multiple cafes and coffee shops over the next few weeks and try working at each for an hour or so.

2. Identify your top two or three favorites.

3. Schedule some time each week to work from one or more of these new “offices.”

For more, check out The Top Performer’s Field Guide, The Innovator’s Field Guide, or visit www.JeffStandridge.com.

(Originally published in The Top Performer’s Field Guide.)