Ever since I switched to self-employment, I’ve had several people tell me their thoughts on whether or not working from home would work for them. Usually these people say one of two things.
One phrase I often hear is “Oh, you are so lucky to be able to work from home. I would LOVE that.”
The other phrase I hear is the exact opposite “I would absolutely HATE working from home. That would never work for me.”
I know several people who work from home and couldn’t possibly love it anymore than they already do (I’m in that group), and I also know those who have worked from home in the past and completely hated it.
Whether we’re talking about working from home for yourself, or working from home for others, those who work from the comfort of their home usually experience similar problems and situations.
Working from home obviously isn’t for everyone, but below is how I make working from home work for me:
I still have an office.
When working from home, you will most likely still need some sort of office area. This is so that you can have a dedicated work area where you can stay organized and stay on task.
If you have an extra room, then you may want to convert it into a home office. If you do not, then you may want to take a section of a room, whether that be your dining room, living room, guest room, etc., then make a small dedicated workspace for yourself.
Also, you need a place that can allow you to conduct professional video meetings, interviews, and phone calls without a lawn mower or a dog barking in the background. For me, this has never bothered me, but I know others who have worked from home usually say this is one of their problems. You don’t want to be on an important phone call when there’s a bunch of noises outside distracting you or the person on the phone.
If you occasionally need something more professional than a home office but you know you won’t use it too often, then you may want to look into renting a shared office for your business. This way you have a place to conduct professional meetings and possibly even have a conference room that is available for you when you have to meet with clients.
Related: 15 Of My Best Working From Home Tips So You Can Succeed
I leave my home every now and then.
Some days, you may want to work from somewhere new. I always prefer to work from home over anything else, mainly because I can easily get distracted with people watching. Others I know enjoy working from a Starbucks, a park, or a rented shared office.
Every now and then, getting out of your home and switching things up may help so that you do not feel like you are stuck in a rut or secluded from the outside world.
Another thing you may want to do is to break up your work day. This is one of the things I love most about working from home. I have a flexible schedule, and I can do other things during the day that I want to do and work at a time that works better for me.
I recently bought a membership at an indoor rock climbing gym. It was somewhat expensive, and when I had my day job I probably would have never bought it. However, now that I work from home, I need a fun little break in my day so that I can rejuvenate and feel more motivated to work. Having a small break in the work day is very helpful because otherwise I would probably just work 16 hours a day without a break. It’s also a great way to work out and have fun at the same time.
I still have a social life.
Leaving your home is also a good idea if you ever feel lonely. Loneliness is a big reason for why many people think that working from home won’t work for them.
You might want to join a club, go to networking events, meet up with friends and/or family for lunch or dinner, and more.
I make sure I have fast and reliable internet.
One thing that can really ruin my work day is not having quick internet. Lately, my internet has been much better, but before I would occasionally want to throw my laptop out the window.
Having fast internet for many work at home jobs can make your work day move along much more efficiently.
I set a schedule and make goals.
Since you are working from home, it can be easy to forget about the work you need to do since your workday is a little different.
You need to create a schedule and stick to it. Decide when you’ll wake up, when you will work on a task, and what your goals are. Setting a schedule and setting goals will help keep you motivated and you will be less likely to procrastinate.
I try to eliminate distractions.
It is extremely easy to get distracted when working from home. Before you know it, you might watch TV for hours on end and waste a whole work day.
Here are different ways to eliminate distractions:
- Turn off your TV. TV has been my number one distractor.
- Download apps that will turn off social media for you. This way you are locked out of any distractions and you are unable to turn it back on by yourself.
- Turn off the wi-fi in your home. This ties back into distracting yourself with social media. If you don’t need wifi for your job, then I highly recommend this.
- Prep your meals. If you distract yourself from working by eating (yes, I do this too), then you may want to look into prepping your meals so that you can spend less time making your meals. Also, don’t buy unhealthy snack items so that you have nothing quick to resort to.
I have off days.
You can’t work every single day, at least not forever. In order to keep your sanity, you should have off days.
This is something I still struggle with. I find myself working nearly every single day. It is hard to stop since it is so easy for me to work, and also because I do enjoy it so much that it doesn’t really feel like work.
Even with that, you still need an off day. For me, I like to pick my least busiest days, which are usually during the weekend. I will still reply to emails just because I don’t want to wait until Monday and there be 1,000 emails in my inbox waiting to be answered.
I hire help.
Having help is a big reason for why I am able to do so much. I hire different parts of tasks that need to be done to three virtual assistants. It makes life so much easier because I can focus more on the bigger picture.
There are many things you could hire out. You could find a babysitter or helper for your children, you could have someone clean your home, you could hire an employee or a virtual assistant, and more.
When I worked at my day job, I even had a client who hired someone to pay his bills. YES, it was an odd job but he hated it so he had someone else do it.
I let people know that I am still working a real job.
Ever since I started working from home, people have been popping out from all over asking for favors and telling me that since I do nothing during the day that I should have tons of free time.
If I do say no, I sometimes get guilted into doing it because people tend to think I’m just being lazy. I think this is really the only thing about working from home that bothers me. I’m fine with doing favors, but there is a point to where you might actually be hurting yourself if you are doing more favors than what you can realistically take on. Rarely is there a day that goes by where at least one person doesn’t ask for a favor. I love my friends and family, but I need a break every now and then! P.S. If you are someone who asks for favors from me, don’t take this the wrong way 🙂 It’s just that doing 15 favors a week gets very tiring…
You need to inform others that you are still actually working. You are just working in a different environment now but just because you are working from home does not mean you are unemployed. If I was working in an office building doing the same exact tasks, would my job be viewed differently?
Would you prefer to work from home?
Would working from home work for you?
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Myles Money says
One of the biggest problems with working for yourself is keeping yourself motivated when no-one is looking over your shoulder all the time and cracking the whip: working for yourself takes a lot of self-discipline.
Michelle S. says
Yes, it definitely does. Thanks Myles!
Jef Miles says
Wow Michelle, the comments are really taking off here.. If I were to work from home, I’d definitely need to set a schedule and stick to completing the 3 tasks that are going to move my business forward. Sounds great in theory, not sure how it would go in practice, will have to see one of these days 🙂
Michelle S. says
Yes, you’ll have to see 🙂
Dawn M says
The 3 task are???
Mrs. Maroon says
I have worked my corporate job from home for six months. We moved to a new state, 250 miles from the closest office, but through the power of technology, I can perform my engineering functions from here. I do have a dedicated office space which is key. I find my biggest distraction is the kitchen – not good for my productivity or waistline! I used to justify the snacks because I was pregnant, but I can’t use that any more. Speaking of which, my favorite part is that working from home has allowed me to regain a portion of my paycheck while keeping Mini Maroon 2 home with me. Her 2.5-year old brother does go to child care… otherwise I’d never get anything done!! We are just in our first week of back to work, but so far I really love it!
Michelle S. says
I’m glad you love it. Sounds like a great situation 🙂
Amanda @ My Life, I Guess says
I’ve sort of been “working from home” since being laid off (ie: blogging, a little bit of freelancing, but mostly applying for jobs) and I find it difficult. The distractions get the better of me every time and I cannot get much done when my fiance is home. I tried setting up a home office, but it’s become more of a storage room, which makes it harder to concentrate 🙂
Michelle S. says
I hope you figure it out! It’s definitely hard for many to stay on task.
Lemuel Danilo says
That is only at the beginning. Meantime, focus on developing your other skills so that you can widen your scope. As far as my experience is concerned, after you land your first job online, it will not be too difficult to get your second. As you build your reputation online, you will find it easy to look for a gig online. Good luck!
Lemuel Danilo says
I agree working from home is not for everyone. I have been working from home for the last 5 years. I can say from time to time I still miss having an officemate beside me but when I compare working from home and working in an office, I can see a lot of advantages working from home. For me it is an opportunity to widen my horizon as I get to work with people from across the globe. And also I have all people telling me how lucky I am to be working from home and that they also wanted to but afraid to try.
Michelle S. says
Luckily, I have my husband as my office mate 🙂
Dennis Seymour says
I have to admit, focus is a big part of my problem when working from home but I found out that waking up earlier, around 6am and starting everything early, finishing important things BEFORE lunch time is the best.
The rest of the day is for everything else that won’t really take too much creativity.
It’s good that you mentioned the “favors” part – It’s annoying! People always think you aren’t doing anything. That’s one thing that I still need to work on, it’s hard to say no to people you love lol.
Michelle S. says
Haha yes it is definitely hard to say no. It’s something I still need to work on.
Beth Anne says
I totally feel you on the last point! My mom is really bad about asking me to do favors and such during the day. Sometimes I have to just say no I have to work! I do like having flexibility so I can do errands during the day or dr appts without having to take “time off” like when I had a regular job and then work later in the evenings but sometimes I just need day hours to be productive!
I would totally love that job to pay other peoples bills! My mom has always wished she could afford to hire a personal chef so she eats better/doesn’t have to cook every night.
Michelle S. says
I would love a personal chef. That would be amazing!
The Phroogal Jason says
I always remind people that I do have a job that takes a lot of time. But when I do run into someone I know and they say I have the life because I don’t have to work. I just nod my head instead of trying to explain I probably work more hours than they do.
Michelle S. says
Haha it annoys me so much. I can’t help but correct them.
Dawn says
Hi! I’ve been enjoying reading through your site. I have been debating on starting a blog, but I’ve never been great with words. I also am having a time trying to come up with a name. Should I use my name or figure out something ‘catchy’? Which do you find is best?
Michelle S. says
Hello Dawn!
I recommend you check out this post – https://www.makingsenseofcents.com/2014/08/how-to-start-a-wordpress-blog-on-bluehost.html
I think it’s up to you and what type of blog you are wanting to create. Something catchy usually works well though.
Cierra says
i’m only 18 years old and I’m actually trying to find jobs that are strictly work from home. I have a chronic illness and never see myself being able to work in an office on a regular basis. :/
Abby says
Hey Michelle, I am looking at starting a blog, my own business, I don’t know something. I want to work from home but I cannot figure out what is the best route for me. Should I try to get a job at a call center from home, try to be a virtual assistant? Regardless I need to make an income of some sort, but I want to be able to enjoy what I do as well.
What is your opinion?
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
I have never worked at a call center, but I have been a virtual assistant. I enjoyed being a virtual assistant because you were basically your own boss.
Abby says
How do you get yourself recognized and out there. I am trying to start a blog…and I am failing miserably. I started back in 2013 and I just recently started to work on it again and well it is not going so well. I am an administrative assistant now so I think a virtual assistant would be a great transition, but I would need to make a decent income. I don’t want my husband to have to go on the road and work again. I don’t know where to look or even where to start!
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
There’s a course I recommend if you want to become a virtual assistant. You can find it here – https://www.makingsenseofcents.com/virtualassistant
DNN says
I love the internet because had I know what I know now about affiliate marketing, blogging and content marketing, I too would be close to $20 million in “side hustle millionaire $ gUaP $.” 🙂