Working from home, is the dream of a very large portion of the population. Either to be able to spend more time with the family, or not waste time commuting each day. There is almost always some reason that will make their life better or may allow for a change that they want to make.
There is almost always one problem which comes up for those that want to start working from home. Once they do start working from home, they find that they end up feeling trapped in working from home. They end up having to much of what they wanted. To much time with the kids and they don’t get enough work done, or that there is to many distractions (game consoles, movies, tv) to get any work done.
There are ways to avoid some of the problem’s, although for some people this can be easier said then done. Because for the most part the best way to avoid these problem’s is through controlling urges. However lets take a look at some of the problem’s
THE KIDS ARE TAKING TO MUCH TIME
If you are working from home to try and save on childcare and such, then this is going to often be an unavoidable problem. If you are going to be the only one there to look after the kids and they are young enough then you will find that you are spending to much time looking after them. However if they are being looked after by someone else, then you need to setup distinct area’s, for example an office in a spare bedroom, which is offlimits when you are working. Or maybe a area in the garage or something so that you are away from where the children area, and not likely to be disturbed.
OTHER DON’T TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY WORKING FROM HOME
This can be a problem that can come from both your own actions and others, for example if you are fairly loose with how you work then other’s will see this and not take it seriously. Where as if you have a dedicated area and spend the time in this area working when you say you are, then you will show people that your working from home is serious.
TO MANY DISTRACTIONS
Literally this problem is caused only by yourself and not being committed enough to what you are doing. If you are finding that the time creeps away and you are spending more time playing the Xbox then working, you may find that the area you have picked for doing work is the wrong area. You need somewhere that you cannot see the distractions and the only thing there is to do is work. Plus a healthy dose of will power always helps as well, but if it does not work then working from home may not be something that is a feasible long term option for you.
At the end of the day though you are going to have some distractions at home, as opposed to if you were in the office. However how different are these distractions then if you were getting distracted by co-workers at work. Or do they take up more time then you would have normally spent driving to work. Plus if you find you are more productive in the time that you are working, then you may find that the distractions are not such a problem afterall.
I just had to comment on this article, especially the part about the kids taking too much time. In my head, I think that I’m a superwoman that can do any and every thing. So, I watch the kids (2 boys, ages 4 and 1) and work from home. Well, earlier today, my 4 year old found the goldfish’s food and a tug of war followed. There were fish flakes everywhere, and my 1 year old was feasting on them. I lost two hours of work trying to get fish food flakes out of every nook and cranny of the carpet, the furniture, and the kids. But, I did learn that fish food isn’t poisonous according to the poison control hotline. Sigh….. Have a great day!