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How I Make Working From Home Work For Me

Last Updated: BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 130 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

How I Make Working From Home Work For MeEver 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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About Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Michelle is the founder of Making Sense of Cents, a blog about personal finance and traveling. She discusses how her business has evolved in her side income series. She paid off $40,000 in student loans by the age of 24 mainly due to her freelancing side hustles. Click here to learn more about starting a blog!

Comments

  1. Revanche says

    I don’t have an issue with focus so I love working remotely. I get way more done when I work at home versus working in an office where people feel compelled to schedule meetings or pop by my office for some chitchat, etc. It might be good for networking but honestly, when it comes to getting through a huge pile of work in a chunk of time, working from home is the best.

    I have to admit that I keep the tv on during the day for the dog, but it’s good for me to have a little bit of background noise that I can very easily ignore. If PiC’s spending the day working from home as well, though, I can tell he’s completely distracted by the tv. I’m about to set up a nice little desk “station” since we don’t have room for an office, and that’s going to make it even easier.

    Your last point has been my major pet peeve. Whenever I’m working from home, people think I’m free to take calls and just gab for hours. My schedule is flexible, not empty! So I now screen calls just as much at the “home” office as I do at the regular office.

    Reply

  2. EarlyRetirementGuy says

    I’ve just started a new job which involves alot more working from home. I think I will miss the social side of the office workplace alot, at least to begin with. My parents both worked from home during their careers and they said it can be quite lonely, especially if you are part of a team which has members who do work from an office and you can become left out of discussions.

    Saying that; I love the thought of being able to work from anywhere. If the weather is nice next summer I’ll run some power cables out the window and sit in the garden to work. Plus the flexibility is pretty invaluable.

    Reply

  3. Jayson @ Monster Piggy Bank says

    At first, I didn’t liked the idea of working from home. But, when I tried it, it liked it. However, I did not resigned at my work. What I am doing now is I work at office weekdays, then I do work from home every Saturday or any days where time permits. Time is flexible for working from home, which I really like.

    Reply

  4. Autumn @ The Barefoot Budgeter says

    At my last job, i worked mostly in the office, but if I really needed to get something done then I went home and knocked it out. There are just so many distractions in a traditional office. Right now I don’t have the option to ever work from home and I miss it. My ideal situation would be 3-4 in the office and 1-2 at home.

    Reply

  5. Mrs. Frugalwoods says

    When Mr. FW worked from home, he had a dedicated office in a small room upstairs. It was ideal to have this separate space because if he was in there, I considered him to be “at work” and I wouldn’t bother him. If the door was closed, I’d actually text him if I needed anything just to respect the boundary of work and home!

    Reply

    • Michelle S. says

      Yes, this is exactly how a dedicated work area is important. Without it, I think it would be very hard to work. That being said, I do spend a ridiculous amount of time working in my living room haha.

      Reply

  6. Charlotte says

    I LOVE working from home! Even thought I don’t work for myself, my company lets us work from home 2 days a week and it’s a perk that I adore. I get so much done on those days because I don’t have any of the normal office distractions. It also opens up my schedule a lot since I’m not commuting and I have way more flexibility to run errands, do a workout, etc. I’d work from home every day if I could!

    Reply

  7. Sarah says

    I work from home and also fall into the category of “loving” it. I don’t have a home office, but once we get a house that is definitely happening! For now, I work on the couch which is fine since I have to watch the two little ones. I also agree about the “favors” thing. For me, it wasn’t always favors but more just friends and family always wanting to make plans. I guess I sometimes feel like people don’t think I actually have a job because it’s from home. I’ve had people say, “Well, you work from home so can’t you just work later?” Yes, I could…but then I’m missing dinner with my family and relaxing with my husband! Would they want to work later?! Probably not!! Anyways, rant over…but I totally see where you’re coming from with that!

    Reply

  8. Will - First Quarter Finance says

    I read on lifehacker (go figure lol) that breaking up your workday makes you more productive. You can work longer each day and your brain loves for your body to get up and move. I know if I work 8 hours straight, I get restless.

    And my family are farmers so they think if I’m not outside sweating, I’m being lazy. Very hard to get my point across that I’m working while ‘sitting on the computer’.

    Reply

  9. Jen @ Save to Splurge says

    Your last point is so true for me! Hearing things like “you’ve got all this time on your hands anyway” or ” it’s not like you have anything better to do” gets old quick! I’m still learning how to deal with those kind of comments. It’s hard to say no, but I know I have to put me and my business first if I want to succeed.

    Reply

  10. Holly@ClubThrifty says

    I enjoy working from home. I have an office, but I mostly work in my living room. I never get sick of being here when it’s nice outside because I could leave any time if I wanted. The only time I go crazy is during winter when it’s awful outside. Sometimes I lose my mind if I’ve been here for several days in a row without venturing out.

    Reply

  12. Natalie @ Financegirl says

    I think working from home will become more common in the future. Your list is a great example of how it can be done effectively. I haven’t hired virtual assistants yet, but I won’t be surprise when that day comes.

    Reply

  13. Andy | Income by Example says

    I work from home for my main job and also with side projects and at times it does get rather lonely which bums me out, but I remember how fortunate I am to set my own schedule, run errands when I need to, not have someone breathing over me, etc. My friends give me crap for it, but I know they wish they had the freedom I do!

    Reply

  14. Michelle says

    I would love to work from home. The big issue would be setting up a dedicated space because my place is LITTLE 🙂 Luckily there are a number of really nice shared workspace businesses in my area. I really enjoyed this list.

    Reply

  15. Brian @ Debt Discipline says

    I’ve only work from home for a handful of days over my career. If I did long term I would like to have a dedicated work space. I like the ideas of being about to work ASAP as opposed to having to get ready and commute. Seems like you could be much more productive.

    Reply

  16. Travis @debtchronicles says

    Having an office – a dedicated space to work – is crucial. I do my online activities at home during the evening, and used to just plop the laptop down in front of me as I watched TV with the family. It was SO inefficient. Now I give myself a dedicated amount of time to work uninterrupted. I get more done, and it’s much better quality.

    Reply

  17. Grayson @ Debt Roundup says

    I am actually pretty lucky as I have flexibility to work from home when I need to. I used to do it and it wasn’t for me. I like to socialize, but now I enjoy the ability to do so now and again. I do have a dedicated office and that helps out quite a bit.

    Reply

  18. Emily @ evolvingPF says

    I’ve been surprised at how well I’ve taken to “working” (funemployment-ing) from home. I’m still very productive! I wish there were more days when I didn’t have to leave my house at all, but it seems I still leave about once per day to do an errand or something social. I definitely need to get a consistent workspace set up and some more ergonomic devices. Using a laptop keyboard and touchpad all day is no bueno for my wrists!

    Reply

  19. Tonya@Budget and the Beach says

    Working from home is one of the best parts of working for yourself. I love not having to commute, especially in LA. Whenever I do have to drive somewhere in this city for whatever reason, I always thank my lucky stars! And it saves gas, and I need savings help wherever I can get it! The downside of course is that it’s hard to “turn off” work.

    Reply

    • Michelle S. says

      Yes, not having a commute is a huge positive. It saves us a decent amount of money, and honestly there are just some crazy drivers out there so I am happy I can avoid them!

      Reply

  20. kammi says

    Maybe not from home, but I’d love to have an opportunity that would allow me to travel extensively. Soon, I will accomplish this! 🙂

    Reply

  21. Jayleen says

    I love being a stay at home mom and blogger! I have to admit that I get distracted easily and feel guilty if i let housework go. I’m working to find a balance!

    Reply

  22. MMD says

    If I were a person who worked from home, I would always make sure to get out and go places every other day. I do that even now at my current job just to help break up the monotony of the day and make it feel less like an institution.

    Reply

  23. Courtney says

    Hi Michelle, loved this article because I love working from home myself and these are some great points. One thing I find is that I get more distracted in an office environment by chatting with coworkers. At home I can focus more and I’m more determined to focus because I’m at home, I don’t want to take advantage of it and then lose my productivity, credibility and my job. When working from home you really have to take it seriously and work just as hard if not harder than you would in the company office.

    Reply

  24. Nicola says

    I still can’t decide whether I’d like to work at home all of the time – I think I’d get easily distracted and lonely too. Maybe half and half is the answer – half in employment with someone else, and then half when I’m in charge of what I do. Maybe! 🙂

    Reply

  25. DC @ Young Adult Money says

    I would even go so far as to say that working from home full-time is a goal of mine. The work I do can technically be done remotely so it’s something I’m working towards and will seek out in future jobs. There are some jobs I would like to do – such as own a startup – that may require an office of sorts. I’m not entirely opposed to it, it all depends on the work you’re doing.

    Reply

  26. Adam says

    I work from home for my regular job most of the time and also fall in the category of loving it. Working for a company becomes much easier when you’re not constantly in the middle of office politics and the many distractions of coworkers. I feel like I’m less distracted at home than I am in the office. In my experience, the schedule is the most important part of making it work. Getting up by a certain time and working by a certain time, keeping my lunch break (lunch break?) to a minimum, and ending by a certain time. My family knows that during my “office hours”, treat it like I’m not even there. Great article!

    Reply

  27. Dan @ Our Big Fat Wallet says

    I’d say Im probably in the middle of the road in terms of if it would work for me. I can’t really say for sure as Ive never tried it but I think it would be both positive (not having to commute) and negative (feeling lonely some days). Im curious though, what tasks do you outsource to others?

    Reply

  28. Lauren says

    I enjoy working from home, but I do get distracted easily. I would never leave home to work before, but I recently started bringing my laptop to the library, and it’s been nice to power through an assignment without the distractions and comforts of home. Always good to change things up once in a while.

    Reply

  29. anna pry says

    I ‘work’ from home entering giveaways and make a decent amt of $ without having to get a job outside the home or pay for daycare. I got some good tips/reminders on maximizing my time! Having the fastest internet i can get is so important for me

    Reply

      • anna pry says

        I enter things off and on all day, in between household chores and doing stuff with my kids. On a good week I get $200 or more. Sometimes I hit a dry patch and dont win anything for a week or two but it probably averages out to $600/month for me right now. If i win something I dont need or want, i sell it on craigslist or ebay. Or use as gifts which cuts down on expenses. It does take a lot of time but I can usually cover groceries and ‘extras’ with my winnings.

        Reply

  30. Kayla @ Shoeaholicnomore says

    If/when I get to the point that I’m working from home, I’m going to have to do a lot of things you suggested – shut off the TV and make sure I have a dedicated work space, plus a set “work schedule” so I don’t just keep thinking “I’ll do that later” and never get anything done.

    Reply

  31. Syed says

    I’ve never had to work from home because of the work I do, but since I have been doing a little freelancing I do experience some of what you talked about. TV isn’t as big a distraction for me as just being on the computer is. I’m getting better with it but oftentimes I’ll find myself on a sports blog or picking up a computer game I left off on. I’ve found that just picking 2 or 3 things to get done for the day and focusing on them usually helps me. Great job and thanks for the insight!

    Reply

  32. Brittany at Equipping Godly Women says

    I work from home and I LOVE it! The key for me is making schedules and to-do lists. That way I can use the toddler’s nap time productively, and get off the computer in the evening when it’s time to spend time as a family (That’s the plan anyway…)

    Reply

  33. Jason B says

    I would have no problem working from home. I am disciplined enough to stay focused and get the work done. A few years ago this wouldn’t have been possible.

    Reply

  36. jefferson says

    I think you are absolutely doing it right, Michelle.

    Even working at home for my corporate job, I know that I have to carve out some personal space or productivity is just not going to happen.

    Reply

  37. Tammy S says

    My husband worked from home for years and years. He finally decided to go back to work in the office when he felt he was wasting more time and energy going back and forth for meetings. He was getting frustrated also with all the neighbor women calling him and asking him to help them with problems they were having. Lol

    Reply

  39. kay ~ frugalvoices.com says

    I love working from home. I don’t answer the door at all. I don’t answer the phone for extended family. I don’t like getting distracted because I tend to lose focus and momentum. This was a great post. I’m going to recommit to making a schedule and sticking to it. I got rid of the TV over a year ago, but I can get just as distracted watching YouTube videos. It definitely takes a lot of diligence to work from home. I don’t think people who have never done it realize just how much self discipline it really takes.

    Reply

  40. Melissa @ Sunburnt Saver says

    I think the only thing I wouldn’t like about working from home is not seeing new people (or any people) all day, but with the rise of affordable rentable work places (coworking locations I think they’re called?), I think nowadays it’s totally feasible! As long as I could get out occasionally and chat with new people, I’d be fine. Dream job! 😉 Also – home office is a MUST.

    Reply

  46. dojo says

    I also work from home and it’s great. We share the ‘office’ with our 8 month old daughter (since we need to keep an eye on her), but it’s still OK. Love the freedom to create my own schedule and the clients I work with 🙂

    Reply

  47. Manolis Saviolakis says

    I like this giveaway.Yeah, there were a lot of distractions when I had my day job. The distractions often made it hard to work!

    Reply

  49. Becca says

    I have never worked from home before, but I think I would be terrible at it (at first). I am terrible with getting distracted but I would like to attempt it some time and see if I can learn to love it and succeed.

    Reply

  50. Jon @ Money Smart Guides says

    I agree with everything you say. Sometimes I need to get out of the house and work from a Panera, but I have to keep an eye on distractions. Another key is reminding people that I actually work. When I first started many of my friends thought I slept in until noon and watched TV the rest of the day. Even my Mom is surprised when I tell her on a weekend that I am working. Yes, Mom, I actually work haha!!

    Reply

  51. 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.

    Reply

  52. 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 🙂

    Reply

  53. 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!

    Reply

  54. 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 🙂

    Reply

    • 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!

      Reply

  55. 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.

    Reply

  56. 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.

    Reply

  57. 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.

    Reply

  58. 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.

    Reply

  59. 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?

    Reply

  60. 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. :/

    Reply

  61. 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?

    Reply

  62. 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 $.” 🙂

    Reply

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