Working from home is a dream for many people. Women especially, dream to be able to make a living from the comfort of their home, while taking care of the kids and of household chores. While this is absolutely possible and many persons are successfully doing it, you need to be aware of potential dangers that may keep you away from success.
Losing one’s focus is one of these dangers. What your home is your office, it’s very easy to get distracted from your work by those dishes that need washing or by those kids who need pampering. You need to make a clear separation between the two facets and stick to your business tasks until you get them done before moving into domestic issues. A clear work schedule would probably help, so try to make one and follow it closely.
When you work from home, the fridge is probably in your sight most part of the day. Do not take snacks every 30 minutes or so, no matter how tempting this may be. It’s so easy to put on a lot of extra weight when you don’t realize how much you are actually eating. Have your meals at the same time each day and don’t munch on any snacks while you are at your computer. Work should be work, meals should be meals. Keep the two separate, if you want to work from home and still fit inside your clothes.
Running a home-based business may lead to a lack of exercise. When you need to commute to a job every day, you do things you don’t even notice: you walk, you climb stairs, or you may even run sometimes, if you’re late. When your office is two steps away from your bedroom, you eliminate all that exercise. If you don’t replace it with some other form of exercise, you’ll soon be out of shape. It’s very important to stay fit, so stop every two hours and do some sort of effort. Yoga is excellent for home workers, because it doesn’t require a lot of space and a lot of time. You can choose a few poses that work best for you and practice them in chunks of 15-20 minutes, several times a day.
Perhaps the biggest danger of working from home is mixing work and leisure time in such a way that you end up with the sensation that you worked straight for 15 hours every day, when in fact you only worked less than half that time. It’s best if you can put a time limit where you stop office tasks and call it a day. Otherwise, you may start neglecting your spouse, your family duties and your friends. You’ll feel tired, because your body will believe you worked late, when actually you played 100 computer games in-between those office tasks you achieved.
Running a successful home business while staying sane required discipline, focus and control. If you don’t lose yourself to procrastination, you’ll be much happier than a 9 to 5 worker. It’s entirely up to you.
Do You Have What It Takes To Work From Home
Working from home may sound like the ideal job. You are your own boss and you only have to answer to yourself. Do you have what it takes? Let’s find out.
Determination
You’ll have to be determined to succeed at working from home. You’ll have to set your hours and put in the time regardless of how nice the day is or how much you want to stop and play with the kids or watch that movie.
Dedication
You’ll have to be dedicated to make it work. You will be the only one in charge of putting in your time and doing the work. You may or may not have a boss to answer to but if you don’t do the work you won’t get paid.
Family Cooperation
Your family will have to work with you not against you. This means that if they come in the room and decide to watch the television you’ll have to rule here and tell them to “Keep it down” or “no, I’m working right now” and they are going to have to understand this.
Set A Schedule
We all know what a schedule is, if you’re working from home it’s even more important to have a schedule. You’ll need to set your hours, schedule your breaks including your lunch, and stick to them.
Boundaries With Friends and Family
Many people who work from home have this issue. Friends or family know you work from home so they drop in whenever because they know you’re home. Some people solve this issue by simply putting a not on the door stating their working hours and to please call first. If you don’t answer the phone invite them to leave a message and tell them you’ll call back after you’re off work. At first, many will test this. Be firm and strong. Simply leave the door locked and the blinds down on the door. Use caller ID to know whether or not to answer the phone. Eventually, everyone will get the hint.
Get Out Get Moving
Working from home it’s easy to forget to get out and get moving. Exercise is still an important part of your life. Did you previously walk with co workers at lunch? Start a new walking group at lunch then. Did you walk before or after work? Get walking. Whatever your old schedule was for exercise, you’ll want to make sure and incorporate it into your new schedule. It’s easy to forget and get out of the habit but it’s so important for your health.
Office Space
Whether you use a corner in the living room, the spare bedroom or have a dedicated office space, you’ll need to have an area for work. Teach family that this area is off limits. Picture invisible walls around it and tell them, this is where mommy is working. When I’m here, please wait until I’m on break. In time, they will respect it.
Working from home takes determination, guts, scheduling and effort, but it can be a real great thing when done right.