Working From Home – Is it as Great As People Think?
At Content Customs, some upper management and editors work from local offices to better serve our clients. However, the lifeblood of the content portion of the company is comprised of United States based free lance writers that work from home.
When I first started working from home, many of my friends and family asked me the same question, “How did you get so lucky?.” Indeed, when I first started working from home, I agreed. Nothing compared to waking up and starting work without having to leave my apartment, especially during the brutal winters in Upper Michigan.
However, as time passed, I began to experience some of the problems that come with working from home. Don’t get me wrong, working from home has a great deal of benefits. You are in control of your schedule and work habits. There is no boss breathing over your shoulder (In many occasions, you are your own boss).
You can set up your work environment how you feel most comfortable without worrying about offending coworkers or customers. Working from home is great. However, let’s take a look at some of the common problems that come with working from home and how you can deal with them.
Working From Home is a Lot of Work…
One of the first problems that arises from home is the dreaded distraction. If you have a family, they might assume that you are available because you are at home. You might be in the middle of a project and suddenly be interrupted by an excited child waiting to play.
This works the same way with friends and roommates. One of the things that you can do to help with this problem is to set a schedule or develop a system. Put a sign up on your home office door or speak to your friends and family to tell them that when you are in your office, you might as well be on the moon. Help them to understand that, without your work from home time, you can not work as effectively.
The second most common problem is finding time to work. When you don’t have a boss, it can be tempting to take care of the things that you want to do during the day when they come up. You might decide to get your grocery shopping done before noon or take a trip to the bank. Set a schedule every week and stick to it.
There is no reason that you need to work from 9-5 if that is what made you consider working from home in the first place. As long as you set a reasonable schedule and stick to it, you will be able to focus your efforts on making sure that you get a decent paycheck every week.
