What Is It Like Working From Home?
The latest trend in these economically turbulent times is to cut costs. It’s not just the big companies that are downsizing and merging, small businesses are also doing the same. And most of the offloaded end up at home scratching their heads on what to do with their lives next. And somehow, the heart it around that it is possible to work from from home. Just what is it like working from home?Here are some of the things I have experienced.
DISCIPLINE
Working from home calls for a lot of discipline. You have all the time before you to do whatever, whenever. This depends on what you do. For instance, if you are a wedding caterer, then your time will definitely be tied to the wedding event. This is different from, let’s say, web and graphic design. You could be working late into the night or early in the morning or mid-morning.
LACK OF UNDERSTANDING
This one comes from all sorts of angles. If you have young children, they may not find it easy to connect what you are doing to being a “job”. For them, Daddy is home. And the sparks fly. Your spouse could ask you to do an errand when you are right in the middle of things you just hate to leave. And you lose your focus.
If your friends and family do not understand what it is you are trying to do, they can easily think you are free to do stuff. I have had them say to me “Since you are at home (i.e. doing nothing), could you please do this for me”. And you have to explain that you are actually working on some stuff…
ISOLATION
This is a biggie especially if you are coming from the cooperate world. All of a sudden the office dynamics do not exist. You are not in on the latest gossip or who did what to whom and so on. The buzz you use to be in on in your industry suddenly begins to get hard to come by. The closest you can get to it is in the news or some other social gatherings.
And you are always trying to catch up. You are full of the phrase “Oh, I didn’t know that”
However, in spite of these challenges, working from home can be rewarding if your family has grasped that you need to be doing this. If they cooperate with your schedule and you are disciplined enough to stick to your schedule.
It can be one of the most rewarding things that could ever happen to you.
