This post is part of ReadyTalk's ongoing series on teleworking.

My telework day started without Internet. The cable technician had come to troubleshoot the connection, and when he saw the downed line, his shoulders slumped.

“I’ll have to run a new drop to your house. It will probably take me between 2 and 3 hours.”

I made a pot of coffee, and let my supervisor know my status and that I probably would not be available until later in the day. I had considered just biking in to the office, but I had other work scheduled on the house and needed to be home. They technician told me that my cable line had been purposefully cut from the alley along with two of my neighbors’. Meanwhile, a few guys show up to do unrelated work on the house and I am shuffling cars around so they can get a truck and a Bobcat in to my driveway.

I’m watching the technician run a new cable while the contractors jackhammer a strip of concrete next to the house. Finally, after many cups of coffee and a case of the jitters, the cable comes back on line, and I begin working at my desk to the sound of jackhammering.

Many of my coworkers use our technology to work from home during inclement weather and to watch over sick kids. Some even work from the ski slopes. I don't have kids and am lucky enough to have weather-proof transportation, so when I work from home it’s usually so I can concentrate on what I’m doing for ReadyTalk or to supervise house work.

While the possibility of connection problems might make teleworking seem like a risky choice, it would have been easy for me to work from the local coffee shop had the cable company not been so responsive. It’s hard anymore to go anywhere urban and not find an available wireless connection.

While this day was filled with stress, noise and distraction, I’m looking forward to future days of teleworking with warm weather, a hammock and the sound of the backyard waterfall keeping me peacefully productive.

What are your teleworking horror stories? What steps have you taken to prevent them from happening again?

Daniel has been managing ReadyTalk’s website since 2008 and helps make marketing collateral easy on the eye. When he’s not hacking away at VIM or tweaking the website, he’s busy improving his Denver Victorian, making/enjoying good brew and offering expertise to local non-profits.