Working from home, What a DREAM! or is it!

Working from home may seem like a dream opportunity. There's no commute; there's tremendous flexibility, not only in the hours you work but also in the where you work; and lets be honest, its ALWAYS casual Friday, heck some days its "stay in your pajamas Sunday"!

But despite those phenomenal perks there are many cons to consider before embarking in your telecommuting dream. First off there's a very distinct lack of social interaction. At first this sounds like a fantastic idea, "you mean I no long have to deal with coworker drama, sign me up!" But after awhile the isolation begins to set in and you realize that there are days when your only verbal conversation is with a toddler; and you begin to question your ability to maintain intellectual conversation with other adults. After all most coworkers would probably frown if you asked them to have a Peppa Pig sing along in the middle of the office.

Speaking of Peppa, lets discuss distraction. While working from home distraction comes in every possible form you could imagine. Whether its going to get a third cup of coffee an inadvertently losing 30 minutes doing dishes or having a Disney Dance off with your 2 year old daughter... distraction is everywhere. From personal experience this makes staying on task or even getting started tremendously difficult! Sure you can seal yourself in a spare bedroom with signs that insinuate the end of times if you are interrupted, but that's not really why we work from home to begin with.

Another issue facing those "home-sourced" individuals is the idea that we are some how less professional. There is a certain stigma stemming from days past that states that employees need to be sat at a desk, in an office sitting, for full work potential to being realized.  Many employers also struggle with the inability to closely monitor the 'dollar-for-hours' investment. There seems to be an idea that because we work at home, we just don't work as hard or as long. Because of these misconceptions there is a corp disconnect that puts a stronger emphasis on tangible results, for telecommuters, such as results and numbers, verses non-tangible considerations, i.e. work ethic or effort, for individuals working in an office setting.

Finally, there is no escape from the office. This sounds silly, right. But because you work from home the propensity to over-work or to be available 24/7 is much greater. In fact many people who work from home develop a feeling of obligation with regards to always being available and have a difficult time shutting off from work entirely if at all.

But, don't worry, even with these cons being stated, your dream of becoming a couch comfy career warrior  shouldn't be dashed on the rocks of fear or improbability. Take a look at the articles below for some great tips at being successful while working from home.


10 Tips For Working From Home
Get More Done: 18 Tips for Telecommuters
20 Working From Home Tips to Boost Your Productivity