Working from home – the ultimate dream!

There are pros and cons to working from home. For me, there are PLENTY more pros of working from home than there are cons. Working from home is ideal for me to balance my home, family and financial needs. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner!

The advantages of working from home

Lack of schedule imposed by others

My personality type doesn’t sit well within a rigid, structured timetable. So when I would wake up and look at my work schedule and see back-to-back meetings from morning to evening, I would feel slightly ill. Not because of the work I was doing, but because I had no control over what was happening, or when. And it would mean that I had no time for thinking, reflecting or planning.

Working from home provides the luxury of being able to set my own schedule, based on what I determine to be the priorities.

 

Lack of people management responsibilities

For some people, the lack of people management responsibilities is a con to working from home, and many people desire those leadership responsibilities. For some though, managing others can be extremely draining and at times difficult, especially if you have team members who are problematic with respect to behavior or performance.

For me, the lack of people management responsibilities is a big advantage of working from home. The only person I am responsible for in a work sense is myself. I know I’m a top performer so that makes life easier! I can provide my full attention to the tasks that I’M responsible for to be successful in my business.

No pressure from others about deadlines

The only deadlines that you are responsible for are those that you’ve set for yourself – the deadlines that YOU have control over.

 

No presentations to boards or executive teams

For introverts like me, a benefit of working from home is that I don’t have to physically be in the same space as lots of other people, and I don’t need to do formal presentations to people.

Presentations can be truly horrifying for some people, and public speaking is ranked as the most feared thing (even more than death!)

I’m not suggesting that people should avoid things they are afraid of, because that’s when we experience the most personal growth – when we face our fears. However it is still an advantage of working from home if you prefer working by yourself.

 

Wardrobe

Yoga pants here we come! Wearing suits, heels and makeup day in and day out is not my idea of comfort. For me, a huge advantage of my career from home is that I can wear whatever I feel comfortable in. My energy is not being diverted into my wardrobe and making sure I look professional enough. My focus is on entirely on what matters to ensure my online business a success.

 

Physical environment

You are entirely in charge of your surroundings when you are working from home. This includes lighting, temperature, sound, furniture, setting and mood. You might also choose to work outside of your home. Favorites for me are outdoors in parks, or at the beach. Public libraries with Wi-Fi can also be a winner.

 

Flexibility and improved work life balance

This is one of the biggest advantages of working from home in my view. It provides the ability to manage school holiday periods and children’s illness; and eldercare or other caring responsibilities. Proximity to my children’s school is also a plus in the event I need to pick them up early. It also means the kids don’t need to do before school care or after school care which costs money.

There are also times when you aren’t 100% well but feel obligated to go to the office anyway. We’ve all had those days.

Working from home means there is no more peak hour traffic (phew!), no paying for public parking, and no more commuting on public transport.

Physical ability or illness

Working from home can be ideal workplace for people with a physical impairment, or a mental illness that makes being in an office difficult or undesirable.

 

More productive

I know that when I work from home I am FAR more productive than when I’m in an office. There are no distractions from co-workers, no phones ringing, no last minute being called into meetings, and no out of the blue work demands thrown at me. There’s also no picking up work when others are away.

 

Better health

The workplace environment itself is a stressor, together with the travel to and from work. Working from home means that there is more time available to exercise and mentally refresh.

The disadvantages of working from home

It’s not always roses though… There are some disadvantages of working from home.

Wait, what?

There are disadvantages? Yes, there can be.

You MUST be self-motivated and disciplined.

If you don’t put in the work, your business from home will not be successful.

Distractions can also occur at home. That load of laundry that needs to get done ‘right now’, or the cleaning or childcare, meal preparation or removing the weeds from the garden…. The list goes on.

It might also be that you are distracted by children, neighbours, family or friends who know that you are home and want to provide you with some company. It will be important for you to set boundaries with people to ensure that you remain focused at the times you designate to be work times.

 

Isolation

For many people, working in an office provides social contact. Working from home can make people feel isolated and depressed. If you like working closely with people, you will need to be creative about keeping in contact with people, and finding social outlets to reduce feelings of isolation.

 

Lack of distinction between work and home

The lack of physical separation between home and work can lead to feelings that work never stops or never ‘switches off’. This can happen when there are no externally imposed working hours, and you feel like you need to continue to work all the time. Sometimes people who work from home also feel the need to prove to themselves and to others that they can make their home business a success.

Overall, working from home WINS hands down!

Start your career from home today:

 

Anyone can change their life. 

Leave me a comment or a question below and I’m happy to help!