Solo: How to Work Alone (and Not Lose Your Mind)
- Downloads：5728
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-18 08:51:02
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Rebecca Seal
- ISBN：1982180919
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
“Kind， realistic， and genuinely helpful。。。Install a copy on whatever surface is functioning as your desk， and you may even feel a little bit less alone。” —The Observer （London）
A practical， accessible， and charming guide for finding joy while navigating your professional life working remotely from home—without losing your mind。
Like it or not， working alone is now the new normal。 The COVID-19 pandemic may have accelerated the process， but the trend is clear—making a living outside the confines of a public workplace is here to stay。
For anyone who needs guidance on how to navigate working from a home office—or a home sofa—here is a charming， expert， and genuinely helpful guide to managing a productive career without impromptu hallway conversations or on-call IT support， but with more joy—and， for most of us， better coffee。 Written by a dedicated work-from-home expert， Solo culls wisdom from the latest research in psychology， economics， and social science and explores what we gain， or lose， in the shift to solo work。 In chapters like “Loneliness and Solitude，” “The Power of Planning，” and “The Curse of Comparison （and Why Social Media Sucks），” it picks up where the bibles for freelancers stop， offering practical， inspiring， and uniquely reassuring advice culled from a range of influences， from Aesop’s fables to medical journals， and explaining what helps us stay resilient， productive， and focused in a company of one。
A practical， accessible， and charming guide for finding joy while navigating your professional life working remotely from home—without losing your mind。
Like it or not， working alone is now the new normal。 The COVID-19 pandemic may have accelerated the process， but the trend is clear—making a living outside the confines of a public workplace is here to stay。
For anyone who needs guidance on how to navigate working from a home office—or a home sofa—here is a charming， expert， and genuinely helpful guide to managing a productive career without impromptu hallway conversations or on-call IT support， but with more joy—and， for most of us， better coffee。 Written by a dedicated work-from-home expert， Solo culls wisdom from the latest research in psychology， economics， and social science and explores what we gain， or lose， in the shift to solo work。 In chapters like “Loneliness and Solitude，” “The Power of Planning，” and “The Curse of Comparison （and Why Social Media Sucks），” it picks up where the bibles for freelancers stop， offering practical， inspiring， and uniquely reassuring advice culled from a range of influences， from Aesop’s fables to medical journals， and explaining what helps us stay resilient， productive， and focused in a company of one。
Reviews
Laurie
，
Thought-provoking resource on how to make a living outside the conventional and accepted normal public workplace。 This is a very helpful guide to managing a productive career from a home office， incorporating the latest research in psychology， social science， and economics to construct a practical way to make working from home a resounding success。 Definitely a book to inspire！
Igor Soroka
，
A good compilation of different articles and studies on the topics of productivity， focus， well-being and other topics that will be interesting to the solo entrepreneurs。 However， sometimes it is boring to read 100th time about the concept of ‘Flow’。 I would say that the stories about other people are great。
Monique Prins
，
Good book for those working from home。 It's really more geared for Freelancers or Self-employed peeps but it carries practical sound advice for anyone working alone or at home。 Easy to read and engaging。 Good book for those working from home。 It's really more geared for Freelancers or Self-employed peeps but it carries practical sound advice for anyone working alone or at home。 Easy to read and engaging。 。。。more
Steve Granger
，
Solo is chockfull of useful self-reflections and practical advice， and is an all-around good read for those working independently or alone。 Rebecca Seal's writing style is warm and friendly， which is perfect for being open-minded and honest with oneself about things that may need to change to make sure your independent work is sustainable。 Solo is chockfull of useful self-reflections and practical advice， and is an all-around good read for those working independently or alone。 Rebecca Seal's writing style is warm and friendly， which is perfect for being open-minded and honest with oneself about things that may need to change to make sure your independent work is sustainable。 。。。more
Tracy Ward
，
This book was really good。 It was written in an easy to read style with a lot of research， interviews and anecdotes。 You can tell the author understands the subject really well and has a great grasp of the issues affecting people who work for themselves or by themselves。 Not everything applied to me and my situation but I still found it informative and helpful。 This is a very timely book and I think a lot of people will find it useful。 I've been working on my own for a number of years and strugg This book was really good。 It was written in an easy to read style with a lot of research， interviews and anecdotes。 You can tell the author understands the subject really well and has a great grasp of the issues affecting people who work for themselves or by themselves。 Not everything applied to me and my situation but I still found it informative and helpful。 This is a very timely book and I think a lot of people will find it useful。 I've been working on my own for a number of years and struggled a lot with different aspects of it。 It was really great to hear that my experience is normal and find some techniques to help some of the issues。 。。。more
Arevik Heboyan
，
Hands-on toolset on how to reserve mental health in times of pandemic， isolation， and very morphed and changed work environment， which has so many negative and positive sides at the same time。 Centuries of acceptable and usual work environment have been changed from 2020 and people find themselves in new work-environment: home， sometimes not as ergonomic as a usual office setting， with less commute and communication！ Tools for productivity and mental health are presented and explained and this c Hands-on toolset on how to reserve mental health in times of pandemic， isolation， and very morphed and changed work environment， which has so many negative and positive sides at the same time。 Centuries of acceptable and usual work environment have been changed from 2020 and people find themselves in new work-environment: home， sometimes not as ergonomic as a usual office setting， with less commute and communication！ Tools for productivity and mental health are presented and explained and this can be a nice book to have on your desk and reference when you feel you are using productivity or feeling isolated。 Though the book is for a specific niche of employees， formally in desk-setting， excluding those whose work is organized in place and cannot be remote， it is still a nice reminder， to take care of yourself！ 。。。more
Erick Corona
，
This book covers a lot of areas where you can do small improvements to enhance your solo work life。It's helpful for all people working alone， but it focuses on freelancers more。 Sometimes， things don't directly apply to employed people working from home， but you can probably extrapolate to your case。I especially liked the small habit-changing advice in the matters of feeling lonely， on working less， using your time better and improving your physical work environment。I also liked the writing styl This book covers a lot of areas where you can do small improvements to enhance your solo work life。It's helpful for all people working alone， but it focuses on freelancers more。 Sometimes， things don't directly apply to employed people working from home， but you can probably extrapolate to your case。I especially liked the small habit-changing advice in the matters of feeling lonely， on working less， using your time better and improving your physical work environment。I also liked the writing style。 。。。more
M。
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It was a good read。
Vanya Prodanova
，
Не бях много оптимистична към тази книга。 Трудно е да вярваш на някого， който заявява， че проблемите， които има той/тя като freelancer， никой не се е сетил да пише за тях досега。 Ами， всички знаем， че не е точно така。 Все някъде някой е написал нещо по въпроса。 :）Та， подходих скептично към книгата след тези първоначални думи。 Оказах се права， че това， за което говори не е нещо ново， не каза и някаква нова информация относно това да работиш сам。 Но ми хареса как представи информацията - лесна за Не бях много оптимистична към тази книга。 Трудно е да вярваш на някого， който заявява， че проблемите， които има той/тя като freelancer， никой не се е сетил да пише за тях досега。 Ами， всички знаем， че не е точно така。 Все някъде някой е написал нещо по въпроса。 :）Та， подходих скептично към книгата след тези първоначални думи。 Оказах се права， че това， за което говори не е нещо ново， не каза и някаква нова информация относно това да работиш сам。 Но ми хареса как представи информацията - лесна за "смилане" и нежно подбутваща те да си припомниш на какво трябва да обърнеш внимание и какво е важно。 Книгата бих казала， че е чудесна не само за т。н。 от нея solo workers， но и за всички останали， работещи под някаква форма в стандартното от 8 до 5。 Първите глави ми бяха най-интересни и любопитни - какво всъщност значи да си passion about your job， за липсата на време， хранене и грижа за здравето， и още няколко не най-типичните теми， свързвани с работата на свободна практика и въобще。 Останалото - да не работиш сам， как да формираш цените си и т。н。， беше ултимативно скучно и даже съм чела по-добри книги и статии по конкретните теми。Като цяло обаче не беше никак лоша， особено първите 50%。 。。。more
Aga
，
For someone who does not read lot， my husband is quite good at picking some good books for me to read。 Having seen my struggling over the last year with being extremely overworked and bereaved after losing my Dad last year， he gave this book to me ‘Solo – How to Work Alone （and Not Lose Your Mind）’ by Rebecca Seal。 My husband knows that I am not a great fan of working full time from home and the past year of remote working， and having to deal with loss has had a really awful impact on me。 It cha For someone who does not read lot， my husband is quite good at picking some good books for me to read。 Having seen my struggling over the last year with being extremely overworked and bereaved after losing my Dad last year， he gave this book to me ‘Solo – How to Work Alone （and Not Lose Your Mind）’ by Rebecca Seal。 My husband knows that I am not a great fan of working full time from home and the past year of remote working， and having to deal with loss has had a really awful impact on me。 It changed how I feel about myself， my life， its meaning and purpose， and how I work。 I also realised that it took death of two close family members （my Dad and Aunt earlier this month） for me to stop and actually not think about work， not stress about it and not have anxiety， which was replaced by overwhelming and ever present sadness。 It made me realise how unhealthy my relationship with work is if takes death for me to see it…I think this was the lowest point in my life last year which turned into a longer period。Solo is not a book that brings in new concepts but it brings everything that we think （whilst at the same time completely forget about） is obvious into one book。 As I have been going through it I thought: ah yes， that’s true… oh， that’s right， I remember that training etc。 I thought I knew it all about the work environment and what works and what does not but in fact I forgot。 I was so into the thick of it， trying to deal with the deluge of emails， phone calls， demands on my time and making sure I don’t drop the ball anywhere， I lost track of what’s important。 This book made me realise that I am currently making all the mistakes one can make to become less productive， less creative， less clever and to lose self-esteem。 I have stopped thinking strategically and I have stopped thinking altogether but continued churning the volume。 I no longer know what the ‘bigger picture’ is。 I have been so overwhelmed with work and trying to deal with EVERYTHING that I have stopped thinking long-term and I no longer know what my next steps are…。all I am thinking about is that I want to ditch it all to save myself。 But what would I be running away from？ Solo made me think that maybe the same thing I have been running away my whole working life？The book does not read like an academic research but is exactly what I needed， a reminder of things that can make every day just a little bit less dreadful。 Seal talks through examples and theories supported by some good references and further reading。 Each chapter has something useful， at least for me。 I am half way through and what stuck in my head is what she wrote about the ‘meaning of work’ and the fact she did not brag on about having to work in obvious professions like: doctors saving lives， teachers educating kids for better future or working for international organisations trying to solve major issues like conflict or global warming。 She shows the reader that each job can have a meaning and it is our perception that gives this meaning。 Seal also writes some clever things about the whole misconception of multitasking and productivity， long hours and how much work we really get done。 As much as the book is written with the self-employed in mind， I think majority of its content is relevant to everyone in today’s world where so many of us work too much in a wrong way。 。。。more
Glenn Stenquist
，
Well worth your reading investment。 Good tips and stories。
Andy Lopata
，
I really enjoyed this。 Relevant for more than the original planned audience thanks to Covid-19 forcing so many more people to work from home and very well written and engaging。 The book makes you think about the way you plan all aspects of your working life and is packed with practical takeaways。 There are some cracking stories too， although I think there could be more。
Lauren
，
Aimed more at freelancers than someone working at home。 But really interesting with lots of great tips。
Steffi Tam Yu Ling
，
Read the chapter headers， didn't feel that it value added to what I am already doing。 Hence not compelled to read further。 DNF。 May revisit next time IF there is time。 Read the chapter headers， didn't feel that it value added to what I am already doing。 Hence not compelled to read further。 DNF。 May revisit next time IF there is time。 。。。more
Sarah Farmer
，
Some solid advice for solo workersI enjoyed this book。 Written with a warm， friendly tone， the author offers advice on a range of topics from loneliness to eating well。 The book did seem to just ‘end’ - think I would have liked a more rousing conclusion。 However， would recommend to anyone who is currently home-working or is self-employed
starduest
，
Bumped this up from a 4。5 because it's incredibly relevant， extremely readable and full of excellent tips and pointers。 It's certainly not just for freelancers - parts 1 and 2 on how we work and where we work are must reads for everyone， especially if you're always stressed， can never find time for lunch or struggle with finding meaning in what you do。 Part 3 is more relevant to soloists but to me was in fact the weakest section of the book。 Bumped this up from a 4。5 because it's incredibly relevant， extremely readable and full of excellent tips and pointers。 It's certainly not just for freelancers - parts 1 and 2 on how we work and where we work are must reads for everyone， especially if you're always stressed， can never find time for lunch or struggle with finding meaning in what you do。 Part 3 is more relevant to soloists but to me was in fact the weakest section of the book。 。。。more
Megan Carnegie
，
Seal takes an expansive， incredibly well-researched deep dive into freelancing - but also solo work， of which many people are more accustomed to thanks to the pandemic。 This is why the book is for anyone who sees themselves working from home for at least part of their time for the foreseeable， not just freelancers。 It's one of the first books I've read that directly engages with the pandemic and I'm so glad it does - her words were both bolstering and soothing。 I loved Seal's use of the term 'so Seal takes an expansive， incredibly well-researched deep dive into freelancing - but also solo work， of which many people are more accustomed to thanks to the pandemic。 This is why the book is for anyone who sees themselves working from home for at least part of their time for the foreseeable， not just freelancers。 It's one of the first books I've read that directly engages with the pandemic and I'm so glad it does - her words were both bolstering and soothing。 I loved Seal's use of the term 'soloist' - it felt really inclusive， which was reflected in the breadth and diversity in her interviewees。 As someone who's recently back on the freelance train， this feels like a book I'll return to regularly - strongly recommend！ 。。。more
Ollie Reynolds
，
Solo is a fantastic resource if you find yourself working on your own。 There's a lot of great advice around the problem of long hours， what meaningful work looks like， and how to cope with loneliness。 I'd say the only issue I had with the book is that it's not necessarily geared towards those who have been forced to work from home due to Coronavirus。 The pandemic is certainly referenced a few times， but I think you'd get more out of this book if you work solo by choice。 Solo is a fantastic resource if you find yourself working on your own。 There's a lot of great advice around the problem of long hours， what meaningful work looks like， and how to cope with loneliness。 I'd say the only issue I had with the book is that it's not necessarily geared towards those who have been forced to work from home due to Coronavirus。 The pandemic is certainly referenced a few times， but I think you'd get more out of this book if you work solo by choice。 。。。more
Alana Rose
，
This book contains lots of helpful tips and interesting information for both employees working from home due to covid-19 and solo workers。 Lots of things to take away from it
Sean
，