My Home Is My Office: Getting Real About Working From Home

The ability to work from home is a dream that countless people have. They dream of things like working in their pajamas, not having a boss, and setting their own work hours. Many people achieve this dream, but soon learn the harsh reality. The things they have dreamed of for so long turn out to have numerous disadvantages. It seems that each advantage has a flip side, or a disadvantage, you need to cope with.

You Can Work In Your Pajamas Until You Have A Meeting

It is true that you can work in your pajamas when you work from home. However, it gets old after few weeks or months, and before you know it you aren’t combing your hair or brushing your teeth every day. The situation can decline even more when you stop bathing regularly and becoming people compatible will take quite some time.

Believe it or not, this can actually lead to intense depression and it can significantly lower your self-esteem. In turn, this can also begin to affect your work in a negative way. Take the time to get dressed every day and practice good hygiene. Just because you can work in your pajamas doesn’t mean that you should. If pressure helps, make appointments with friends, colleagues or business partners so you need to go outside and get dressed properly.

You Don’t Have A Boss, You Are The Boss

Not having a boss can be a double edged sword, so to speak. Without a boss or supervisor watching your every move, you are free to play a quick computer game, take personal phone calls, take a nap, watch a TV episode and things of this nature. In theory, this sounds wonderful, but in reality, you probably aren’t getting much accomplished in terms of work. Before you know it you will have spent too much time procrastinating.

Without the presence of a boss to ensure that you are staying on top of the work to be done, you will need to have a great deal of self-discipline. Determine what your work hours will be, and make sure you are working during that time. You have to be your own boss, and it is essential to your success that you become a good manager.

You Can Set Your Own Hours, Just Don’t Forget Setting Them

Having the ability to set your own hours is one of the aspects of working from home that sounds super-attractive in theory. However, there are three categories that a home based business owner may fall into when it comes to their set work hours.

The first category is the person who is doing everything but working during their set work hours. They are tending to the kids, watching television, or chatting on the phone with a friend. The second category is the home based business owner who is constantly starting work late, taking long lunch breaks, and quitting work early. The people in this category do not have enough self-discipline.

The third category is the person who has too much discipline when it comes to work this person works during their set hours and far beyond those hours as well. Additionally, this person regularly forgets about eating meals, and often finds that he or she has problems in their relationships due to the long hours that they work.

While the person in the third category is getting a tremendous amount of work done, none of these situations is good. You must have enough self-discipline to work during the hours that you set, to start work on time and to quit work on time as well.

Avoid The Pitfalls And Discipline Yourself

Working from home really can be awesome, as long as you avoid the traps that exist. I was a freelancer for over six years and only after some time I got to know under what circumstances I work most effectively. Let me tell you that it is not suited to everyone, and before you make such a major change, you really need to think about how you can organize yourself. Think about the advantages but also consider the pitfalls that are associated with each perk.

Photo credit: Pixael