What to consider when working from home

I have been working as an independent entrepreneur for over 20 years and for many working from home can be a challenge. I have had many offices over the years but always an additional home office which I always ended up using the most.

If you are working from home or considering it, here are some points you should think about.

Do you have a family?

If you have a wife and kids you may get into situations where they just see you as being at home sitting at the computer and therefore interrupting you a lot. So it is important that they know that you are actually working and to respect your work space. It is really nice getting to be around your family all the time, but it can be a major distraction from work as well. So finding a balance here and maybe setting hours can be a big help.

Undisciplined?

Getting to set your own hours, work at your own pace, take days off when you want to and so on is a major benefit of being your own boss. But, this also requires a lot of discipline. It only becomes so much easier to sleep in, work less and take time off. It is important to recognize your own level of discipline. Admit to yourself if this is an obstacle for you and you can then do something about it. Set an alarm in the morning, build a routine and set goals for yourself like what you have to finish before you can call it a day or x amount of hours. Also try not to work too much. This might not sound like good advice, but you can end up in situations where you have been working almost 24/7 for days and you just get mentally exhausted decreasing the quality of your work and also wearing you out to the point you will have to take time off to recharge.

Feeling shut in?

When you both work and live at home you can get a little stir crazy as you spend a lot of time in your house. So make sure to get out in your spare time. If all your work can be done from a laptop you can also go and work at coffee shops sometimes for a change of scenery. Be sure to get out, even if it just for food, walking the dog, shopping etc.

Being able to work from home and your own boss can be hard but with the right precautions and attitude is is the best way to work. Not having a boss and being able to set your time is an amazing lifestyle!

If you are considering going into business for yourself, I wrote a free guide for @emancipatedhuman that you can download here.