Since you are going to be home, would you...

Pitfalls home-based workers face every day.

Whether by choice or circumstance you now work from home. Fantastic! You have heard about the advantages of working in your pajamas, no more rush-hour traffic to contend with or parking places to find. Instead of leaving home and “going to work” where you live is now where you work. It sounds great.

The convenience of working from home also has the possibility of some pitfalls. One of the first challenges you may face is from family. There may be children running about, the TV or music playing in a nearby room and other noisy distractions. There is also the unfortunate perception that if you are home during the day you should be able to take care of the household responsibilities. This can result in an uncomfortable conversation with your spouse that begins with; “Well, you were home all day.” When you live with other people, it is important that everyone is onboard and understands the necessary boundaries. They need to understand that when you “go to work,” even though it is at home, you are invisible and unavailable unless there is an emergency or situation that absolutely needs immediate attention. If you don’t value your time and the need to do your work, no one else will either.

Beware of the close proximity of your refrigerator. Statistics show that just like their freshman college counterparts, the home-based worker tends to gain weight during their first six months working from home. The refrigerator seems to beckon your name. You hit a stumbling block and head to the cupboard for a little snack to jumpstart your creative juices. The next thing you know you have gained fifteen pounds. Instead of heading for food take advantage of your opportunity to be home and head outside for a ten minute walk. Getting up and moving around is more likely to help awaken your thoughts than indulging on what is in the kitchen.

Procrastination is tempting. We always have the best intention to get things done. Unfortunately, all too often in the battle between intention and action, intention wins. We find ourselves rationalizing that we will get to work right after we watch Sports Center or The Talk, only to find that several hours have suddenly passed. We hear ourselves saying, “That lawn really needs to be mowed. I better do it in case it rains later. Or… I’ll just run to the store and get a few things now; it might be crowded later when people are heading home from work and out of school.” Perhaps a fellow home-based worker has hit their own mental block and calls to suggest a movie or a round of golf. It is easy to rationalize putting off work in exchange for doing something else. Unfortunately, sometimes it prevents us from doing what needs to be done in a timely manner. Working from home requires being self-motivated.

Don’t get me wrong, one of the advantages of working from home is the opportunity to attend your children’s school and sporting events, schedule doctor or dental appointments that before may have meant scheduling a day off or loss of pay. The key is to recognize what is a real benefit as opposed to a detour or distraction. You need to respect your business time as much as you would respect your employer’s rules if you were in a traditional workplace.

Thanks to modern technology, work hours are no longer confined to 9 to 5 Monday through Friday. Business is being conducted 24/7. The self-employed entrepreneur is only one of the many groups that may work from home. Telecommuting is a growing trend. Many companies are running their customer service departments from individuals’ homes. You may think you are calling a corporation that has a large building filled with representatives waiting to take your call. In reality, the calls are being taken by men and women in their jammies, in their home connected to you via their computers or phones. If you are working from home in a position that requires you to be available during specific hours then you need to fulfill the expectations if you want to keep your job. Some people work all day at a traditional job and then work second or third shift doing a job from home. They may take calls, put content on websites, do research or any of a hundred other types of jobs now done from home.

Create the work environment and schedule that co-exists best with your lifestyle and that of your family. There is nothing wrong with working all night and sleeping all day if that meets the demands of your job and is compatible with your lifestyle. Some people have the convenience of a separate office area where they can go and close the door. Others find themselves working from a space in their bedroom or at the dining room table. If being home-based at “home” presents too many distractions, consider joining the thousands of workers who have found an “office” at their local Starbucks or Panera Bread.

You need to consider all the advantages and pitfalls that are likely before you either accept a home-based job offer or start your own home-based business. Will the hours needed to be available work with your lifestyle? Will working from home be compatible with your personal responsibilities? It is important to set boundaries and create the work environment that will best propel you in the direction of your goals. It may take some time for everyone involved to adjust; but, it can be done. It is happening in households’ throughout the country every day.