You want to be successful? then NEVER WORK FROM HOME!
Posted by SHANNON RAWLS
Us entrepreneurs all have one thing in common: we have the flexibility to choose where we want to work. Working for yourself means that you can decide where and when you want to work within limits of what would benefit your business.
However, even startups should be wary of running a business in their own home. While the work from home life sounds dreamy, it may not be the best option. On the bright side, there are other options available without having to commit to a traditional office space.
What Jobs Let You Work from Home?
Whether you are a startup business or you run your own private practice, there are plenty of jobs nowadays that allow you to work from home. Some of the best work from home jobs include:
- Yoga instructors
- Cosmetologists
- Massage therapists
- Tech jobs
- Private practices
- Social workers
- Legal jobs
For private practices and startups, working from home can be hard. You will need a space that is inviting to clients/customers and provides you with all the amenities an office space should have. Working from home can become crowded long-term and motivate you to assess other options.
Top Reasons Not to Work from Home
While it is convenient on occasion, working from home can be hard long-term. Having other family members at home or a noisy neighborhood can be distracting when you are trying to work professionally. Here are the top reasons not to work from home.
YOU NEED A PROFESSIONAL SPACE FOR CLIENTS/CUSTOMERS
If you have clients or customers that need to visit you in person, you want your space to reflect the professional level of your business. Working from home makes that difficult. You do not want to worry about whether your house is clean, organized, or large enough to accommodate whoever visits your “office”.
Having an office space away from your home makes your business more inviting to clients/customers. It also makes it easier for you to separate your private life from your professional one.
FAMILY CAN BE DISTRACTING
Working from home can be a great way to connect with family. However, if you need to get things done, family can also be a distraction. When you work from home with children, it is even harder.
Remote work from an office space outside of your home gives you freedom from family when you need it while still offering a great work life balance.
YOUR INTERNET IS UNRELIABLE
Do you ever have trouble with your Internet connection when working from home? Internet connections can be a common issue when working from home.
In an office building, Internet is a higher priority, since they need to accommodate everyone who comes in each day. It can often be more reliable than the connection you have at home because they invest more into it.
With a flexible office space like LocalWorks, Internet is included in the monthly price, making it hassle free for you to connect, communicate, and run your business.
YOU MISS OUT ON ABILITIES TO NETWORK
With a flexible office space, there are others in the building just like you that you can connect with. It is a great place for someone starting a business or for someone who needs more clients to go and spread the word about their own business.
While flexible office spaces are great for finding potential clients/customers, it can also be helpful in finding employees. If you work from home, you miss out on opportunities to talk to people around you about your company or private practice. In a standard office space, you don’t get the open workspaces that a flexible office space like LocalWorks provides, where like-minded individuals from different jobs can all work in the same open space.
YOU HAVE TO PROVIDE EVERYTHING YOURSELF
There are a lot of expenses that come with running a business from your home. In addition to Internet, you will need to invest in good office equipment, including chairs, desks, tech, and printers.
Using a flexible workspace means that all the essential amenities are provided. LocalWorks even provides security for the building and 24/7 access to your workspace, so you can use it anytime just as you would be able to if it were in your own home.
Easier to Lose Momentum on Low Motivation Days
When you work from home, it’s much easier to lose momentum and slack off when you don’t feel motivated to work in the first place. I can’t even count how many times I’ve fallen down a YouTube rabbit hole or purposely dragged my feet on getting set up to work for the day.
Losing that precious time always came back to bite me later in the day.
Being self-motivated is key. But even then when you’re home alone, you’ll feel less accountable which makes it easy to lose your productive streak.
When I work outside of my home at places like a library or coffee shop, there’s still room to get distracted or slack off, but I’m not in the comfort of my own home so I can’t start watching T.V. or take a random nap.
It Can Get Boring
Working from home all by yourself can be quite boring and even have a negative effect on your social and communication skills. Believe it or not, it helps to interact with other people throughout the work day whether it’s colleagues, business owners, or the barista at Starbucks.
Having no one around to interact with aside from my cat most days left me feeling pretty bored and uninspired during the workday. As a result, I became easily distracted by even the smallest things and would take frequent breaks in an attempt to boost my energy.
Friends and Family May Not Understand
Ever since I became self-employed, I’ve found myself heavily defending my time against requests from family and friends. When you tell people that you work from home, they may automatically assume that it means you can sleep in, run errands, talk on the phone for hours, or do personal research for them.
In a way, it’s not fair because if your friend were at work from 9-5 and during those hours you can’t expect them to answer the phone or run errands.
I often find myself saying no to friends and family who ask or expect me to do other tasks during my normal working hours. I realize that they may mean well and probably don’t understand, but it’s so important to defend my time so I can make a living.
Working outside of the home can often ease tension in this area. It’s so much easier to tell people “No, I’m working at my office/coworking space today” and just shut yourself off from the world while you get important things done.
While working from home can sound like a perfect solution, it may actually hinder your progress and productivity if you’re not careful. Don’t just take our word for it. You can test it out yourself by working outside of your home at a coffee shop, your local library, or even at a coworking space for 1 or 2 days of the week and see if you’re able to get more done and lower your stress levels.
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