Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
So many people look for the best jobs to do from home. The prospect of being your own boss can be quite tempting. Unfortunately, not everyone puts things into perspective and understanding when looking to be a work-at-home individual. If you want to be successful, you need to look at the entire process as a whole, and not just the glamour of working from the house. There can be a great deal of chaos if you’re not properly prepared.
Understanding May Boost Your Success
Some of the most attractive aspects of working from home include being able to set hours, have more time to yourself and the family and work from the comfort of your own desk. Although these are only a few of the benefits, there is a great deal of chaos that can ensue. Over the past four years, I’ve found several points that I didn’t take into consideration before quitting my regular job.
Non-paid Breaks
If you’re a freelance professional like myself, you’re paid for the work you actually perform. For example, I am paid by clients to write a certain number of words on a specific topic. I don’t see a dime until that order is complete. That means taking breaks will actually cut into my productivity. It’s not like a traditional job where you’ll still get a paycheck even if you have to run to the bathroom.
Greater Stress for Productivity
When working from home, you may have to rely on higher levels of productivity in order to make the experience worthwhile. This means you have to be more focused on your work. Otherwise, you won’t get paid nearly as much as you would working a regular nine-to-five job. The demand on your time is greater as is the demand for quality from your clients. From my point of view, the level of stress is far greater than when I worked as a waiter at a very busy truck stop.
Keeping a Professional Attitude
Being professional when working from home is of utmost importance. After all, your clients will demand a certain level of quality and quantity within your work. Understanding this aspect can help you keep clients happy. Keep in mind that these are the people who are paying your bills. In many respects, you need to be more of a professional as a freelance artisan than if you worked for a major corporation.
Marketing Yourself Well
As someone who works from home, you need to learn how to market yourself. There needs to be understanding that there are thousands upon thousands of people who are competing for the same work as yourself throughout the planet. If you want to maintain any level of success, you need to remain competitive and make sure you stand out in your industry. Some of the things I work on include:
- Social media marketing
- Detailed profiles on work sites I use
- Creating engaging job offers
- Highlighting my skills on sites and blogs
You just can’t sit at your desk in your pajamas and expect people to hire you. You need to give them a reason to give you money for your skills. This many be the most difficult for people to learn, but it will greatly impact your weekly income.
Relying on Fluctuating Income
Unlike a traditional job, you’ll more than likely have to rely on an income that fluctuates greatly depending on the workload. There could be days when you don’t do a single job for clients. This means that you don’t get paid for that day. When you rely on this income to pay the bills, it could be quite stressful. There needs to be understanding about how your pay will work and what you can do when there is a lull in projects from clients.
Limiting Distractions
People who assume they can work from home while spending more time with the family lack understanding that life will happen at the most inopportune time. What I mean is: children can interrupt workflow, phone calls can divert your attention, television shows could be engaging and the list goes on. It’s difficult to limit distractions when you have a house full of people or entertainment devices. Keep in mind that every second you’re not working on a project is one that you’re not getting paid for.
Don’t get me wrong; there is a great deal of money to be made as a freelance professional working from home. In fact, it could be a great way to make a few bucks for the young college student. However, there needs to be understanding when you have to face the chaos of what life throws at you. Spend some time and analyze every aspect before quitting your regular job. You may find that it could be too impractical to rely on just working from home.
- An Evening with Maddi Bluhme on After Hours - September 9, 2024
- An Evening with Ian Thomas Healy on After Hours - August 22, 2024
- Why I Don’t Query Agents as an Author - August 21, 2024