10 Things you Need to Know about Working from Home
When people find out I work from home I get one of two reactions. Half the people think it’s cute that I have a little hobby. The other half think I must have all kinds of spare time since my schedule is flexible.
I’ve found that the reality of working from home often comes as a surprise to people. Many moms who have asked me for help finding a way to work from home are shocked at what it’s really like.
Working from home has been amazing for me and has brought some incredible opportunities for my entire family. But working from home IS work and some days are harder than others.
What is it really like to work from home (especially when you have young kids)?
It’s hard to clock out at the end of the day. The problem with your office being in your home is you can’t physically go home at the end of the day. It’s very tempting to just finish up one last project or go back to put some extra time in after your kids go to bed. I have to actually turn my computer off and walk away or leave the house to really get a break.
Sick days don’t exist. This one is tricky because as a mom, sick days don’t really exist either. When you work from home and can’t infect an office full of people with your germs there’s not much of an excuse to take a sick day unless you are dying. It doesn’t help that there’s usually no one to take your place. Come to think of it, I guess it’s just kind of like being a mom.
You have to be self-motivated. If you are used to having your schedule defined by someone else, it can be hard to transition to being a work at home mom. There’s no one standing there making sure you are getting your work done. You have to be motivated enough to do it on your own (or to stop doing it on your own in some cases).
Balance is hard to find. This is true for almost everyone but it’s especially true for work at home moms. When you work at home you constantly feel like you are choosing between work or family. Yes, you are there with your kids but sometimes you’ll have to resort to parking them in front of the TV or occupying them with a bucket of toys so you can get work done. Depending on the job you are doing, you may even have to use some outside childcare so that you can actually get your work done.
You have to get creative. There are some great work at home job opportunities available but in many cases you’ll have to get a bit creative to find a work at home job that’s a good fit for you. I’ve worked for other people and companies at home and liked it just fine but I’ve found the most success (and happiness) branching out and creating my own job. At first I did this by running a home daycare. Now I do it by writing and consulting. Work at home jobs tend to evolve and you have to be prepared to go with the flow a bit.
You may need to diversify. Not all work at home jobs are consistent. You may need to diversify your income stream a bit to make sure that you stay consistent.
It’s easy to get distracted at home. I have a dedicated working space and I still get distracted way too easily at home. Things are constantly happening at my house so it can be hard to focus when things get crazy. When I’m really busy I often need to find another place to work. My go-to is the local library but my husband prefers to swing by Starbucks when he needs a quiet place to work on his work from home days.
You may still need childcare. One of the big appeals of working from home when you have young kids is saving on the cost of childcare. Have you ever tried to work with young kids running around though? It’s hard. Really hard. I take advantage of nap time but there are times when I need to rely on outside childcare. If you have a job that requires a lot of focus, daily childcare may still be a necessity.
Things may be more chaotic. When I first started out working at home I had this vision of a peaceful work day and lots of quality time with my kids. The reality is a bit different. You learn to juggle really, really fast. You do eventually get into a routine but there are going to be days when you feel like you are dropping all the balls.
Working from home can be lonely. There is a stark change between a busy office environment and a home based office. There’s a bit of a transitional period when you first make the change. One of the things that surprised me the most was how lonely it can get working from home. You may have your kids there but there’s no other adult to bounce ideas off of or chat with during a break. Social media can be a great alternative to having co-workers physically there but it’s not quite the same. For me, the first 6 months were the hardest and it got easier from there.
