The Perils of Working at Home

Look at this great picture of a mom working at home.  Doesn't she look happy, relaxed, and productive?  And how about that gorgeous baby?! The baby is content, clean, and quiet enough for mom to conduct business on the phone with the baby in her lap. The desk is clean and neatly organized.  Everyone in this little family is happy. Wow.

That's what working at home is like.

Seriously?

You are not going to like this.

I have decided that it's time to share an unpopular piece of reality. Many of the things you believe about working at home are simply not true. The romantic images of working at home that most people have in their heads are cruel hoaxes, perpetrated by people who are either slackers, charlatans, or borderline autistic with uncanny powers of focus.

I told you you weren't going to like it.

Now, before all of the self-employed folks working at home start commenting, e-mailing, and tweeting me, let me explain myself…

There are some definite advantages to working at home. It's absolutely true that your schedule is more flexible and that can spend more time with family. It's also true that you can work in your slippers if you want to and you'll save a fortune on lunch because you don't have to go out; you can just step into your own kitchen and make a sandwich.

One of the biggest advantages that people often cite for working at home is the advantage of being your own boss; however, that is actually an advantage of self-employment, regardless of whether or not you work at home or in a suite of offices.

I'm all for self employment, and I can totally understand the attraction of working at home, but the romantic notion of working at home that many people hold is just wrong.

As a self-employed business owner, I have worked at home and I have worked in an office, both with and without employees. When I first started my current business over 10 years ago, I started it in my living room, and I loved it. As much as I loved it, I learned about the perils of working at home and I accommodated for them as best I could, but it just worked out better for me to get out of the house and work from an office.

A couple of years ago I wrote an article about time management tips for home based business owners. I knew I had learned a few things that could benefit others.

You would think that I would remember all of those things when I found myself working at home again this week as I stayed home to care for a sick family member. Instead, I was reminded of exactly why I chose to get an office.

So, if you're thinking of working at home, keep these things in mind:

Everything in your house is a distraction, from the dishes in the kitchen sink to the bills in your desk to the television. Staying focused on income generating activities is critically important for self-employed individuals. It's a difficult discipline to develop even if you don't have many distractions, and it's nearly impossible to master if everything around you is calling you away from focus.

If you manage to get into a groove of focus, it's harder to stop working when you're at home than when you're at an office. Okay, I know that self-employed people are never really "off work," but if you are working at home you are, literally, always at work. So much for having more time with your family. In fact, I have learned that my family would much prefer that I do my work at the office so that when I come home I am truly present with them, and not just pretending to be with them while I continue to work.

One more thing, the whole fantasy about working in your slippers is a trap. Researchers have actually documented that people working at home are much more productive if they dress and behave as if they were going to an office to work. That means wearing makeup, fixing your hair, and wearing real shoes. If you don't, not only will you be much less productive, but that will surely be the day that several delivery people, a few neighbors, and the local Jehovah's Witnesses come to your door. If you dress and groom as if you were leaving for the office, your doorbell won't ring all day (one less distraction). I don't know why it works this way, but I have come to accept it as one of the great truths of the universe.

I think there should be a warning label that accompanies all claims of how wonderful it is to work at home. That warning label should delineate the perils of working at home and warn you, "Work at Home at Your Own Risk."

The next time anybody tries to lure you into working at home (particularly the multilevel marketing folks who tend to say that working from home is nothing but sunshine and sweetness) ask them to tell you about at least three disadvantages of working at home. If they can (and will), you might be able to trust them. If not, run for the hills. Go into it with your eyes open, or don't go into it at all.

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