Pitfalls of Working From Home
It is Easy to Get Distracted in Your Home Office
Working from home presents its own set of challenges to go along with the obvious advantages. Beyond setting up a space for the business that is not a corner of the kitchen or bedroom; the home based business entrepreneur must be ready to overcome some very real pitfalls and challenges. The first thing that is necessary is to make sure that the space set aside for the home based business is big enough to accommodate the entrepreneur as well as the equipment needed to conduct the business. Once that is done, consider the following obstacles.
The Lure of the Refrigerator
Working from home means working in close proximity to the kitchen and the refrigerator. It is easy to get up from the desk, mosey over to the kitchen, open the refrigerator and start browsing, sometimes without really realizing what is happening until feeling the cool air from the open refrigerator. It is a good idea to stock it with low-calorie, energy producing snacks instead of the other kind. Even better, step outside for a minute, stretch, take a deep breath, then go back to work and avoid the kitchen all together.
"Since you're home anyway . . ."
Friends and family of the entrepreneur may try to get some of their errands done by starting out with an innocent, "Since you're home anyway..." and ending with "...run to the store, do a quick mending job, watch the kids, etc." One way to counter this behavior is to respond with "Since you're downtown anyway..." and end with "...pick up the dry cleaning, go to the office supply store, pick up a gallon of milk on the way home, etc." It is important to set office hours and let friends and family know what they are and that during office hours there is no time to do their errands.
Distractions
Sometimes just having the TV on - even in another room - is a distraction. It is easy to walk past it on the way to the office, notice something on the screen, stop to see what it is and before long it is two hours later and the office is still waiting. The best bet: don't even turn on the TV unless a certain program is needed for the work being done. Turn it off right after the program. If background noise is important, turn on the radio, not the television.
Friends and Family Calling to Chat
Sometimes it is difficult for friends and family to understand that work hours at home are the same as work hours at the office. They would not call work just to chat, but they will call home to do just that. One solution is to have separate lines for business and personal use. Don't answer the personal line during business hours. When answering the business line, use a professional, business related greeting, usually including the business name. This will let the caller know they are calling work and not home.
Isolation
It is important to develop a network of other home office workers to call on when advice is needed, when work is overwhelming, or just for a break. Other home office workers will be receptive to the unique challenges of working from home. Most likely they will also appreciate a break, too!
The Bottom Line
Working at home is a wonderful way to alleviate congestion, save money on fuel, and consolidate resources, but it does not come without its challenges. Be aware of them before starting a job telecommuting or working from home.
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