Who wouldn’t want the luxury of working at home? Although there are great benefits, there are also potential drawbacks as well. The true determination of whether working at home is a good fit for your lifestyle and career interest will depend largely on several factors. Take a look at everything you should know before deciding if working from home will work for you.
Here are some of the pros and cons of working from home:
Pros
- Spend more time with kids
- Eliminate commute
- Save money on childcare
- Leave unpleasant work environment
- Reduce stress
- Comfortability
Cons
- You may forget to clock out
- You can get lonely
- Issues with logistics and payments
- Distractions
- Unhealthy habits may develop
- Loss of productivity
At this point you might be asking yourself the following questions, ” Is working from home really the best option for me?” Or, “Do I have what it takes to be successful as a ‘work at home’ mom?
Here are some important aspects that should be taken into consideration to determine if working from home is a good option for you.
Things to think about:
Are you a critical thinker? Do you work well independently? As a remote employee, you will not have the opportunity to readily access co-workers, so oftentimes, you’ll have to rely on your own good judgment to resolve issues and trouble shoot. If you’re the type of person who prefers ongoing interaction versus autonomy, working at home will probably not be the most ideal career direction for you.
Are you self-motivated? You will need to a sufficient amount of self-discipline and motivation to complete your work. Creating your own schedule and routine will help you focused and on task.Having a designated office area might provide you with more incentive to stay focused as well as adding an added barrier to household distractions.
Are you organized? Are you good at avoiding distractions? Balancing work and personal life/family can be one of the more challenging responsibilities that accompanies home-based employment. It will be important to effectively manage your work day as to readily maintain productivity and enhance ongoing performance. Check out these great tips for staying organized while working from home.
Do you have good communication skills? Effective communication is an important attribute for most jobs. It’s especially important when it comes to remote jobs because the majority of your communication with contact will be accomplished by digital sources. According to the Ladders.com, excellent communication comes down to a few core principles:
- Asking the right questions as early as possible
- Making sure you understand each request or task
- Explaining complex problems for anyone to understand, regardless of their background
- Being careful about what assumptions you make
- Taking an active role in whatever you touch
Are you computer savvy? Working from home usually requires the use of online and digital resources. You will most likely need to be at ease with project management programs, video conferencing, and various digital platforms. Companies tend to have their own tools and methods for getting work done and keeping workers engaged. You will need to be comfortable utilizing new digital resources.
Do you have good time management skills? Since you will be primarily working independently, it will be important for you to maintain a schedule for yourself and get designated tasks done in an efficient manner without consistent reminders.
Do you work well with limited contact with others? Building personal relationships is difficult when you aren’t physically working with people. You can easily find yourself feeling lonely or isolated when working autonomously. For remote workers, loneliness can potentially lead to frustration or poor physical, mental health and productivity. Here are some helpful tips for tackling loneliness while working from home.
These questions are just a few of the many aspects to take into account when your attempting to decide whether to work from home or not. So, with that said, what side of the fence are you leaning on? No rush, try to take your time when making your final decision. Weigh your personal pros and cons before you say “yay” or “nay”.
Experts recommend the following tips for effectively managing a work from home lifestyle:
- Avoid sleeping where you work. When working from home, do all the things you’d do to prepare for an office role: Set your alarm, make (or go get) coffee, and wear nice clothes. Get in the routine of getting dressed for the day. Act as if you’re heading into your traditional office. This may help you to stay focused and prevent developing a cavalier attitude about working at home. This will also be useful in setting a reasonable tempo for the day and discourage you from crawling back into bed for the day. Set up a comfortable area in your home that is exclusively for work. You might even consider working at least one day out of the house. Try a local co-working space, coffee shop, library, or university. It might be helpful to vary your work environment and surround yourself with other people for a change of pace.
- Develop a consistent schedule. Make sure your daily work schedule includes tasks that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound. This will help you stay focused, goal oriented and productive. It may also aid you in avoiding distractions. The more focused you are the less likely you may be to fall prey of time zappers. Make sure to include setting realistic boundaries with family members with addressing your work schedule.
- Connect with virtual peers and colleagues. Find out which platforms are most preferred by the people with whom you frequently correspond with. Videoconferencing and instant messaging tools can make it easy to check in with coworkers or business contacts and remind you how your work is contributing to business development and company success.
- Stay on top of your finances and retirement. When you work for yourself, it is essential that you practice money management and connect with a retirement funding plan. If you’re operating a small business out of your home, you will need to acquire the proper tax registrations, business and occupational licenses and permits from federal, state and local governments to operate legally.
Don’t forget taxes, too. Independent contractors who are paid solely for work performed, are expected to pay federal taxes on income and FICA. You will need to pay estimated taxes throughout the year instead of once a year on April 15. Go to IRS resources to help you understand how to pay federal taxes as an independent contractor: Self-Employed Individual Tax Center. Depending on the location of your business, you may be required to file business taxes.
5. Get insured. If you have valuable work equipment to protect, an in-home policy offered by your home insurer might be your best option. It typically covers a wider range of incidents. An in-home policy, is issued by a home insurer, and is a plan against injury or theft. Rates usually run from $300 to $500 and the plan can cover as much as $10,000 in losses.
Working from home can be rewarding, provided you are realistic in weighting the pros and cons. Whether you are a telecommuter, freelancer, a company part-timer, or a full-time employee who has opted to work from home. As mentioned, there are commitments, and expectations that can accompany the flexibility of a home based job, but it can be well worth it to do what you enjoy.
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