So You Want to Work at Home

Published on this site: May 4th, 2007 - See more articles from this month

Everyday people are leaving their stable nine-to-five jobs and become self-employed, working at home. Who doesn't want to try and regain some control over the direction of their career? It is true, being self-employed does offer you more freedom, but by being self-employed you will be lacking the structure and stability you had at a "real" place of employment. There aremany challenges involved if you decide to work independently, and it takes a lot of effort and persistence to become successful.

Being your own boss does have its advantages. First being, you are the boss. There is no more having to answer to anyone, no more co-worker problems, if you had any, and best of all, no more wondering when you can take holidays. When you have your own home business it is up to you when you take time off. Before you think about taking time off you should decide if you have the discipline it takes to work at home.

A lot of people have a misconception that if they work at home they won't have the distractions of other co-workers or customers to deal with. That is very true, but if you work at home you will have other distractions and temptations that you may find hard to resist, such as the television, the telephone, and family and friends who now think that because you are at home during the day they can just come over when they feel like it.

Time management is the most important aspect of being successful. With the distractions mentioned above it is easy to find that at the end of a day you didn't get as much accomplished as you should have, which leaves you with more to do the next day. One of the first things you need is to set your work hours. It is important to distinguish your work hours from your play hours. Set the time that you will start work everyday and then stick to it. Pick the hours of the day when you feel you are most productive. Some people are better in the morning and then find themselves lack luster in the afternoon. With others it's the total opposite, they accomplish nothing in the morning and are full speed ahead by the afternoon. Pick which works for you. The majority of those who work at home typically put in more than an eight hour day.

Close your door. You may have turned a spare bedroom in your home into an office, which means that if you are in there you should be working. If you have a husband and small children at home don't be afraid to close the door. Let them know that when the door is closed you are working and cannot be isturbed unless its an emergency.

Don't answer your home phone, or at least screen your calls. You were unable to answer it before so don't get distracted by it now. If you don't have one already, get yourself an answering machine. If you set aside certain times during your workday for a break you can use that time to return calls, or wait until your workday is over.

No fuzzy slippers. That is one of the things that draw people to work at home. You can get up in the morning, get your cup of coffee and head off to your office in your pajamas and slippers. For some people this works just fine, for most though, it doesn't. If you are too relaxed you may foster that attitude toward your work and find that you accomplished less. Regardless of what you wear, or what time of the day or night you are most productive it is all about what works for you. Once you find your niche, you will be glad you chose to work from home.

Ken Cobb : Are you ready to walk down the path of limitless potential? Visit: http://www.whoiskencobb.com/