Work At Home Safari

Working from home is becoming the new trend for many people because of its many advantages.  Stay-at-home moms and dads, consultants, people living in smaller towns or congested areas, and many others have reaped the benefits of working at home, but there are five things to consider prior to fully committing.

1.  Make sure you have the proper home office set-up.  Many companies will require you have a personal computer, high-speed internet access (ie. cable, DSL), and phone, preferably a landline.  Another thing to consider is the noise level in and around your office.  If you will be required to be on the phone with clients, a quieter environment is preferred.  Having barking dogs or giggling children in the background is distracting and unprofessional. 

2.  Childcare is important for the stay-at-home dads and moms who are taking advantage of working at home so they can be with their kids, while earning an income.  While this is one of the primary benefits of working from home, consider when you can work without distractions.  You don’t want to be in the middle of your work groove, just to be interrupted by a request for more juice.  Figure out if there are windows of time when you will be able to work and/or hire a babysitter for a few hours so you can have this time.

3.  Finding uninterrupted time when you can just focus on work is instrumental to your success.  Do you do your best work early in the morning or late at night?  If you have kids, will you work before they wake up, while they are napping, or after they go to bed?  Distractions, interruptions, and multi-tasking waste a lot of time.  A 15 minute interruption actually winds up taking 30 minutes if you consider the time required to get back on track and refocus on the business task at hand.

4.  Figure out what will keep you motivated to “clock-in” everyday.  Some are working to provide for themselves and their family while for others it is just supplemental income or a way to stay mentally stimulated.  Work at home opportunities varies in hours per week as well as income level, so calculate how much you need and choose the right opportunity for you.

5.  Reconnecting with the outside world will keep you sane.  Those new to working from home find the reality of it to be isolating.  Unlike a typical work environment, you will not have anyone to bounce an idea off of, go to lunch with, or complain about the boss with (because many times, you are the boss).  Find a good forum where you can connect with others who work-at-home, set up a happy hour after work for you and your friends, or just take a walk around your neighborhood.

I do not know what I would do without the Internet, email, IM, and broadband.  I can’t even imagine how stay-at-home moms, let alone those who worked from home, did it before high-speed internet access.  Technology has definitely made working from home so much easier; not only from a speed and access perspective, but as a way to stay connected with the world outside of your home.

When I had my baby and started working from home, I found it so isolating.  Most of the conversations I had were one-way with an infant that responded with nothing more than a gurgle.  I overcame that loneliness by establishing a professional and social network with moms, dads, singles, entrepreneurs, and others who worked at home.

I’d love to connect with you about issues or accomplishments you’re facing working-at-home whether it’s starting a new business, ways to fit the gym into your schedule, or just a “hello”.  You can reach me via:

Group Talk - You are a smart cookie, share your wisdom.  This is my favorite way to connect because I get to see how you handle all the day-to-day issues with a work-at-home career and others can learn from your triumphs or mistakes too.  Share your tips or read what others have to say.

Email – Use the form below.  Don’t let the form scare you into thinking your email will go into some black hole, I am a real person and will read your emails, so write me.

I interviewed a number of seasoned work-at-home veterans and asked them what they felt were the advantages and disadvantages of working from home.  Here are their thoughts.

What are the advantages of working at home?

1.  No more traffic jams or daily commute
2.  Save lots of money on childcare
3.  Get to spend time with your kids
4.  Spend less on gas, eating out, and work clothes
5.  Flexible hours
6.  Work in the comfort of your own home
7.  At home to receive deliveries
8.  Flexibility and being your own boss
9.  Added income they would otherwise not have

What are the disadvantages of working at home?

1.  Many distractions
2.  Don’t get out of the house
3.  No lunch buddy
4.  No one to bounce ideas off of
5.  You are entirely responsible to motivate yourself
6.  No technical support or administrative support
7.  Weeding through the real jobs and scams