I now currently work from home, this happened a couple of months ago. While in theory it sounds like a dream come true, there are some harsh realities that I would like to share if you were like me and always spent your day job dreaming about the luxuries of working from work.
Reality No 1 - say goodbye to the office xmas party, office banter, office gossip or office anything. Although to some this may sound brilliant but in hindsight it can leave a big hole in your social life and it's once you leave all this behind you realise how much of your socialization is done at work.
I have employed several strategies to combat reality no 1, just ask my fruit and veg lady, coffee shop man and local baker : ) (Oh the things we can chat about)! And Bloggerland is a godsend!!
Reality No 2 - Distractions! Believe it or not most days it is a distraction I need. I find that since I am working from home I can ignore to give myself a break from work. I can easily work from 8am - 10pm on most days. Since everything is available to me I'm always thinking about what I could be doing rather than sitting doing nothing.
Reality No 3 - Routine. Again I hadn't noticed how much routine is a big part of a 9 - 5 job until it's gone. I have now realised how much routine is needed in your life otherwise you can end up feeling aimless.
Reality No 4 - A consistent, reliable and regular income. I think this one speaks for itself.
So these are some of the realities that I have encountered so far and I have made every effort to socialise daily, set some consistent break times, create a daily rountine and make sure that I maintain a tight budget. I'm sharing my experiences not to deter others but just to give a little food for thought if wanting to start your own cottage industry.
9 comments:
Yeah, working from home has it's downside, doesn't it? I find that my home is constantly messy, with Lark stuff everywhere and there's nowhere to relax and escape from work. Also I tend to slob about in my PJs until about 11am - not a problem unless unexpected visitors turn up. On the subject of which - people think it's ok to 'pop in' if you work from home, they wouldn't visit your office, would they? And the temptation to eat Tim Tams all day... but we wouldn't swap it, would we?
I wouldn't swap working from home! It has it's benefits too which I should post about next week.
Now I'm off to change out of my PJ's : )
Reality #4 is the hardest for me because... i don't have other skills.
i wish i can work from home too! maybe one day...
oh but you don't have to call meetings with yourself, or form sub committees or sit next to someone with B.O. or face the horror of the staffroom microwave ;and your boss would let you shop on Etsy during work hours..... I mean she would wouldn't she?
There is definitely an appeal to leaving the rat-race. Some days you just know it isn't right. There are options, there are dreams.
Then there is courage... and you have it in volumes!
Well done by the way.
As I work from home too, I felt compelled to read your post.
I agree with every single one of them. Sometimes I right down what times I work to and from and it is never 8hours. I am easily distracted then end up working all night and then can't concentrate on the kids or just hanging out with them.
I work in an office 2 days a week and this is definately my social life. I am also lucky to work out of the office some days so this also help.
But I know where you are coming from.
Thanks for sharing. Look forward to next week.
What great advice.
I think you've done it the right way, you started the small business on the side, then after it had taken off, you then started working from home. Me, well i got kicked out of being pharmacologist & the real world when i had twins (read: 3 girls in 2 1/2 years) so i happily retired aged 26. I didn't use child care, i employed my babies. Yippee!! Then i started Posie professionally. I could easily be a recluse, happy at home & i don't drink coffee. I used to chat to my girls about business questions, like they were my board of directors, only in high chairs. Now they are all in school, so it's my preschooler son who gets the budget approved, he's very agreeable. It takes discipline & motivation.
We move interstate every 2-3 years (married to a soldier) so i don't really have friends who would just pop in. Trust me, if they did, i'd hand them some scissors & fabric!!
Do you live near family?? A lot of my friends who still have family in the vaccinity & work from home find they are the on-call babysitter/ dear niece to pop in for a coffee/ run errands/ Nana to the doctor/ available to call during business hours for hour long chats. When i get a friendly phone call, i do laundry, prepare dinner etc, don't waste my valuable work time.
Great post, love Posie
Yes, you have to be veryyy disciplined to make it work. I've recently returned to the craft thing now that my son is almost three. The distractions are many, especially the ever present food cupboard! I think it's important too to let family and friends know when you are actually working and need to get stuff done. I will be working full time again next year, so will be enjoying the next two months in a sun filled room surrounded by fabric and drinking as much chai tea as I want when I want!
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