Thread: Working at home is not for everyone

I used to work at home and am currently making plans to work at home again; only this time for myself. What I discovered, while working at home, is that it does require a lot of discipline. At first, I found it hard to get motivated to actually get started working, but once I did, the rest was much easier. I also found that I worked much longer and in part this was due to many times I would run errands or do chores around the house. So, I would end up working till 8:00, 9:00, or even 10:00 at night; which I didn't mind because I am a night person anyway. What helped me was to put myself on a schedule. I normally would start my day out by running. After workingout. I would perpare to work for the remainder of the day. Around afternoon, sit and eat lunch for about an hour, and if I had some errands to do, I would take care of my errands in the afternoon. Around 2:00, head back to my office and work for the remainder of the day; or at least until I completed my work. But, I do realize that having the discipline to do this comes hard for many people which is why working at home is not for everyone. If you find that you are unable to sit and work for more than an hour, maybe setting up an office somewhere else might be more beneficial. I know that kinko's has places where one can work out of, for a fee of course and I am sure that there are other places that offer the same or even better office space where one can concentrate on getting their work done. I enjoy working from my home because it gives me the ability to setup my own schedule and I find that I am a lot more happier and thus more productive.

It definitely is a discipline to WFH, especially when you have small kids at home to compete with. I used to work late into the nights but I have stopped that now. Only when I get really overwhlemed with a workload will I work after 8pm now. I was just wearing myself down too much so I had to say "Enough!" I am so much more productive in the mornings anyway and have found ways to get the most out of my time by actually getting some shut eye at night too LOL

It is hard to work from home. There's always something else that needs to be done too. It's hard to focus on one task at a time. When I'm working I think about how I should be folding some laundry and when I am folding laundry I'm thinking of the work that I need to get done. I don't have a set schedule, I just do whatever I feel like at the moment. It's less stressful for me and I feel like I have more freedom that way. It seems to work. Things get done when they need to get done.

You had to mention the laundry huh? LOL I need to get working on that today. I am the opposite though, if I don't have a set schedule I get nothing done and can't focus. My friends pick on me that I have such a strict schedule. Even laundry, Monday for the beds, tues kids clothing, etc LOL Maybe there is a thing about being too scheduled too that I need to deal with :-)

while working at the office, the guy who sits near me always says he's going home for lunch because he has laundry to do.

The biggest challenge for me the first few years was making sure I got out of the house enough. I'm doing a lot better with that now.

TBH, I have hadrly work from home to be aware of the issues. IMO
working from home needs lot of good time.If you have a seperate little workspace in your house then it is fine otherwise its difficult with kids, guest and other things that keep distracting you.

Hi WebDave,
I know people who have jobs and kids as well as a work at home business. What they usually do, is wait until the kids are put down and then work maybe a couple of hours in the evenings or others get up early in the morning and get their business tasks done before others get up in the morning. This really depends on how serious your why is. I read about a guy had a wife, kids, and a job and what he did was after everyone went to bed, he stayed up until about 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning doing research on the internet and working on his business. He would get up in the morning around 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning and head into work. He did this for 3 years. He definitely had a strong why. Needless to say, he is now a multi-millionaire. So, WebDave, think about why you want a home based business. If you are not interested in having a work from home business, and enjoy working at a job, then you are already set. Enjoy your life is the key for what it is?

I agree though with Dave, it is difficult. I have a separate office in my house but it is still hard to separate life from work at times. First kids are unpredictable. Even though my kids know I work mornings and after they go to bed, if one of them gets sick or has appointments, playdates, friends just popping in it can ruin your entire schedule. Secondly, I have the reputation now with other moms that I'm the "Stay at home mom" so everyone can just use me for their babysitting needs or picking up their kids etc which is annoying. People here think since I work at home I am overly available to them to help them out, and I'm too nice to help them too often.
Atleast for me, people don't give me the same amount of respect as when I used to go to work everyday. Working at home, atleast in their eyes, is easier then going to the 9-5 bit which really isn't in my eyes. Working at home takes so much more commitment then just punching the time card, it really forces you to be flexible and willing to work overtime when you need to.

My work at home job is pretty low maintenance. I really only have 2 busy days every month. Other than that, it's mostly just answering the phone. And small projects creep up every now and then, so my work day just doesn't need the extra scheduling. And I am always up for at least 4 hours after my kids go to bed, so that usually gives me all the time I need to do what I need to do.

But I have the same problem with people wanting me to babysit. Everyone "expects" me to do daycare, just because I am at home. I'm more than happy to watch my friends' kids on occasion, but I refuse to do it on a regular basis.

I agree that having kids is difficult and working at home is difficult. I don't have kids, but I do have other responsibilities as well as a demanding career. In essence, having a home-based business is very difficult no matter what. But, whatever difficulties you may have in your life, one just has to learn to overcome them. Yes, it won't be easy.

yes you are so right about that

Yes u are right, I am also working full time from home & It is definitely not that easy as It can look. Lot's of shouting from my mom

I used to live at home with my mother for about a year. This was because I was down-sized on numerous occasions and my money ran out. I live with her for about a year. During the period, I used to lock my bedroom door and if I didn't have any phone calls to make, I used to put on my headphones and listen to my mp3's on my computer. This helped me to shutout all of the noise in the house.

What kind of work is that you are working at home?

I agre, working at home takes a special somone who wants to make it work. Working at home puts all the responsability on your shoulders and if you make mistakes you have to pay for them not your Boss

So I believe you need to Have it as they say to rule like dat

Hi Silveraden,
I have a work from home business that teaches people how to market online. I joined 3 months ago and I am currently using some of the marketing methods which are actually working. If interested, you can take a look at my blog. There is a link to my work from hoe business. If interested, check it out.

Gotlinks, I have been reading a book by Robert Kiyosaki, called "Before You Quit Your Job" and in this book he says the difference between entreprenuers and employees is that employees don't get paid to make mistakes. If an employee makes too many mistakes, he or she can be fired.

The rules are different for entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs have to make mistakes and fail in order to become better entrepreneurs. The key is to learn from our mistakes and failures. People are not taught to be entrepreneurs. We are taught to do well in school, go to college and get a better paying job. In other words we are trained to be employees. We are not trained to be entrepreneurs. In order to become an entrepreneur, we have to go through a metamorphis of some sort and unlearn what we learned as children and employees. The thinking of an employee will prohibit one from becoming successful as an entrepreneur. You should read this book. I highly recommend it.

I've found setting aside a work place, and setting a schedule is the best way. It also helps having kids, because you can't just keep working, they have to be fed sometime

I used to work at home but i got more and more unproductive over time. Too many distractions and I have no discipline. I moved myself to a little office and things are soooo much better!

I still work till late at night till things get rolling better but I'm glad i made the move.

Though, If I had space at home for a closed off room just dedicated to be my home office, then that would have worked well too.

WFH is tough. I used to do it before I was offered a part-time gig where I work now. A year later, I was asked to join the team fulltime. So here I am, working fulltime and WFH. It's been a tough balance between both work environments and my family (husband and 4-yr old daughter). But, I really can't complain. I enjoy what I do.

I too have a full time job and I a work from home business. I prefer the work from home and wish I could do it full time. I do have an office just for my business. I was told that having an office or some kind of space does make it easier to concentrate on your business. But people have told me that I am very disciplined so even if I didn't have an office, I would still manage to work from home.

I am a software engineer so I spend much of the day writing business applications or fixing or enhancing them. This affords me to be able to work at home. But, for some reasons companies want us to work at the job.

When I first started working in this field, I used to work at home a lot and loved it. In fact, I believe I performed my job better. It may have to do with the fact that I was much happier. Studies show that if an employee is happy he or she performs better.

working from home can be hard, i have worked till late many times. just to get things done, after reading some of these post i have got some ideas on how to make things a bit more easy for myself....

Good deal jnrcorps. Forums are a good place to learn from others. I have learned a lot from posting to forums and I am new to internet marketing.

What helps me with my discipline in being able to work from home is I focus on income producing activities. In other words, I have put together a schedule for myself.

Having a schedule helps me because I am so short on time, maybe two or three hours in the evening, I don't have to think about what I have to do. I already know and thus I am immediately placed in action. Being in action is what helps to build your business. Thinking about being in action does nothing.

very true there are lots of distractions

I agree it is difficult. I stay home with our toddler, so I am working, playing with him, keeping him out of things, making meals, working more, do some laundry, work some more, get him a bath and in bed, work some more, let the dogs out, feed the dogs, get dinner ready for hubby, work some more...it is not the easiest thing to try to do. I keep telling myself I am going to make a strict but relaxed (how do you like that? lol) schedule... Strict so I have a feeling and know what I am "supposed" to be doing to try to get everything done..but relaxed because it would be impossible to keep to it 100%

Yes Vlilly, you are doing exactly what works for you, but you are treating your business like it is a business. You are putting forth effort each day to work on aspects of your business that will help your business to grow.

You are also not neglecting your family. While building your business, it is important to keep them in the loop. I didn't realize this at first. I am not married, but I do have a boyfriend, who is very understanding and in the beginning, I did put my business before him.

He too is an entrepreneur so I guess I am fortunate in this respect, but we do set aside time where we both can spend time together enjoying watching a movie or going out to dinner, and even working out. We do set aside time to spend time as a couple. This has helped to improve our relationship.