Have You Got What It Takes To Work From Home?
Posted
by Rajesh
on 8:51 PM
So, you want to stay home and work. Understand there is a difference between working at home and working from home, and by working at home all your work will be completed while you sit in your home office, just feet away from your television set, your car and all the household chores that need to get done.
When you first think you want to work at home, there are a couple of things you need to be honest about with yourself. First, you will have to decide if you a marketable skill than can be used to work at home. Many companies may have positions open for which you can telecommute, or work at home, but most people who do work at home operate their own business.
Whether you own your own business or telecommute for someone else, the second thing required is the self-discipline needed to make it work. While the dress code may be very relaxed and the hours on the job may be extremely flexible, the work will still need to get done and on time. When you accept an assignment you are making a promise to get the job done by a specific deadline. It will take self-discipline to make that happen. Too many times those working at home will take just a few minutes to handle personal or home tasks such as cleaning the house, washing dishes or doing to laundry, just to name a few. These are things that could not be done if you were working away from the house and should not be done if you work at home. If you are running your own business out of your house, then it is probably true that if you do not work you do not get paid. No client is going to pay you to finish your laundry, so you better get back to work.
One of the biggest opportunities you will find in working from home is interruptions. Typically, family and friends see you at home and presume you have all the free time in the world. The family expecting you to run errands or friends dropping in unannounced can be distractions to you and slow down your progress on any project.
Some people keep a calendar for required time off so if family plans are made, the person who works at home knows to plan their schedule around that day and that function. This allows for a work-life balance and can help your family understand how you work at home.You may find the need to be blunt with other friends and family members who just drop in, explaining to them that although you are at home, you are working and are not able to drop everything to visit with them. True friends will understand and respect your need for less distractions in order to complete your work on time.
