Working from Home

I'm here to give it to you straight - working from home is hard. It may sound fun (or easy) to hang at home in your pjs all day and make your own hours. But a lot of work goes into making the work-from-home life work, especially as an entrepreneur. (And the additional pressure of having a "flexible" job means you can't rely on getting everything done M-F 9-5p!)

So I'm letting you in on the things I think are most important to consider - and to make sure you have plans for - if you're thinking of making the switch from cubicle to home!

• You don't always work from your home. Maybe you'll have an amazing home office, (I don't - I have a desk in the corner of my bedroom) but even so, home can be really distracting. You'll see dishes in the sink, have the TV on and get distracted by a show, or your kids will be knocking on your door because they know you're there! So, you'll find the best local coffee shop - the one with free wifi, strong coffee, outlets, and good parking. Or join a co-working space. Or hit the library. And you'll drag your laptop, water bottle, notebooks, paperwork, and snacks with you everywhere. Your car will become a mess (?????♀?) with all the things you're constantly carrying around with you. 
• It gets lonely. Not having coworkers to share your day with can get tiresome. Even just bouncing your ideas off of someone is a small aspect of your day that can really mess with your workflow - when you get stuck, who can you turn to? There are plenty of networking groups both online and in-person, and a huge part of working from home (and working for yourself) is creating a tribe of people who do things outside of your expertise. Find these people and you can not only have someone to trade referrals with, but you'll have someone to turn to when you get stuck.
• You need to be amazing at time management. Not having built-in hours creates the illusion that you have plenty of time to do everything - work, get errands done, etc. NOPE. In fact, you'll wonder where the time goes! It's essential to learn what tasks take you the longest, what you can multi-task and get done quickly, and how to deliver timely results when you promise something. I find tools like Trello, Basecamp, & Asana help keeping me organized and focused.

All in all, if working in home in something you are able to do, you can customize your experience to work perfectly for you. Maybe you like listening to podcasts while you work, or maybe classical music is more your style. Maybe you like hopping around from coffee shop to library to coffee shop, or maybe you need to hunker down somewhere all day. Whatever is your jam - if you need someone to check in with or work next to, give me a ring!