Does Working from Home Work for You?
Important Notice: Our web hosting provider recently started charging us for additional visits, which was unexpected. In response, we're seeking donations. Depending on the situation, we may explore different monetization options for our Community and Expert Contributors. It's crucial to provide more returns for their expertise and offer more Expert Validated Answers or AI Validated Answers. Learn more about our hosting issue here.
Does Working from Home Work for You?
Working from home is growing at an incredible rate. Some people find working at home a natural fit and easy transition, while others have trouble making the switch a successful one. Like all other decisions, carefully considering the pros and cons is important to choosing wisely.
Advantages
Working from home offers several advantages over working away from home. Savings on commuting expenses like gas, parking, and freeway tolls, not to mention the time commuting takes, are all positives. Likewise, budgets for lunches on the go and professional clothing can be significantly reduced. For mothers or fathers who decide to work from home and forego day care, the savings can be quite substantial.
Drawbacks
When making a decision on working from home, it is necessary to take a look at the drawbacks as well. Home workers say the number one problem they encounter is interruptions from friends and family, who often have trouble understanding you’re “at work.” Some people miss the social interaction of working with others, and still other people have trouble knowing when to STOP working.
How to be Successful
People who hate office politics and just want to do their job will most likely enjoy the transition to working from home. Conversely, very social people might have some trouble getting used to the isolation, but most will learn to find other ways to get the social interaction they need.
The support of your family and friends is very important to your success in working from home. Setting up an office and making sure that the family knows you’re not to be disturbed in your office can help. Realize you may still need some help if you have small children.
Working from home gives a lot of flexibility in schedule. While being at your desk perfectly coifed at 9:00 a.m. isn’t mandatory, planning enough uninterrupted time to complete your daily to-do list is extremely important.
Good business sense, along with multi-tasking abilities and excellent organizational skills are all required to successfully work from home. Take an honest appraisal of yourself. Do you have the character traits it will take to successfully earn a living from home?