Is There A Downside To Working At Home?

Working from home is awesome, in fact it’s the best decision that I’ve ever made! I love being home with my family, setting my own work hours, not having anyone looking over my shoulder and being available for my kids without having to worry about asking my boss for time off. Yep, working at home is definitely the cats meow.

Or is it?

There are hundreds of reasons why you may choose to move away from an outside-the-home J.O.B., and you may be one of the lucky ones and everything will fall into place for you without too much grief but it’s important to know that there are some downsides to working from home - don’t panic yet, as these issues can be overcome, but they won’t go away without some sort of action on your part.

1. Variable Income

Say goodbye to your guaranteed salary! You know that paycheck that automatically gets deposited into your bank account every week? When working from home, there’s no more safety net. You are your own boss and you are the one who is responsible for bringing in the bucks.

For many, this can be a very scary thought. After all, statistics show that most new business start-ups fail within the first year. It doesn’t have to be this way though! Don’t quit your day job until you have a nest egg saved up, or have the finances in place that will see you through your initial start-up phase. A good plan is to have at least 6 months worth of income held in reserve prior to leaving your outside-the-home job.

During this time that your still going out to work, there is a lot that you can be doing for your business in order to be ready for the day that you will begin working at home on a full time basis. Don’t wait until you’ve got that nest egg put away to start building your home business - get started today!

2. Loss of Benefits

Unfortunately, no home business comes with health benefits. You may be among the lucky and have a working spouse that has a benefit plan through their employer, but for many this is not an option. Research insurance companies that provide plans for home businesses, and be sure to calculate in monthly payments in your financial plans.

Losing health and dental benefits can be a drastic change for any family, let alone work at home moms with children to care for. Alternatively, plan to put away a portion of your income prior to leaving your job specifically for health care purposes.

3. Isolation

This is often one of the most difficult issues for Wahms to overcome. You’ve gone from working outside the home where you were able to interact with other adults daily. The change to working at home and having nothing but your computer and children’s chatter can lead to varying feelings of isolation, which can be detrimental to your physical and mental well being.

• Take time for yourself: give a friend a call and go out to the mall, or get together on a regular basis for a cup of coffee.
• Plan dates with your significant other: A weekly or bi-weekly outing of even an hour or so can reduce the feelings of isolation.
• Take the kids to the park: you may be surprised to find many other parents hanging out at the park while their children play.

The important thing is that you take the time to get out of the house - a change of scenery away from your home office can do wonders.

4. Making the Work/Family Separation

When you begin working from home, it’s often difficult to separate your work from your family. Being home all day is a major lifestyle change for everyone, not just you and it may take some time to “train” your friends and family. Following are several tips which may help you, though it’s impossible to cover all of the possible issues that may present themselves.

Home Office. Ideally, your home office will be in a separate room which will provide you with an obvious partition between being a Mom and being a Work At Home Mom. My own office space is in my living room, and for my family this works well, but for many the daily distractions of being in the heart of your home may lead to a major lack of organization in your business. If this describes you, try separating your work space with a partition. Partitions are available at many office supply stores at a reasonable cost, or perhaps a decorative tri-fold screen would fit into your home’s decor. The point is to put a physical barrier up around your work space, where only business activities take place.

Create a routine and stick to it. One of the benefits of working from home is the ability to set your own hours, even if those hours revolve around your family. A sample schedule may look like this:

• 6 - 7 am - administrative tasks (ie: email, write articles, update website, filing, pay bills etc.)
• 7 - 8:30 am - family time (ie: spouse leaves for work, kids get up, breakfast, play time etc.)
• 8:30 - 10:30 am - business time (ie: social networking, blogging, customer service etc.)
• 10:30 - 11 am - family time (ie: take kids to park, kids crafts etc.)
• 11 - 12 pm - children’s nap time (ie: business phone calls while it’s quiet)
• 12 - 2 pm - family time (ie: household chores, meal preparation, play time etc.)
• 2 - 4 pm - business time (ie: marketing tasks, order fulfillment etc.)
• 4 pm - OFFICE CLOSED!

As every business will have unique requirements, it’s important to schedule those tasks within the blocks of business time outlined in your daily schedule. Make your family aware of your schedule and ensure that you are not disturbed during your business times. With a little bit of pre-planning, even young children will come to understand that Mommy is at work.

Resist the urge to work all the time. This is a trap that is very easy to fall into, especially for new home business owners as your enthusiasm is at a peak. Plan your business time wisely and close your office at your scheduled time. Your family will appreciate the fact that you’re sticking to the rules, and will be more open to occupying themselves during your business hours. Plan special rewards for your children for abiding by the rules, giving them something special to look forward to during “Mom Time”.

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