Pros and Cons of Working from Home

Many people dream about working from home. They can work wherever and whenever they want. They can even work in their pajamas if they want! However, the truth is that it is not for everyone. You need to make sure that it is right for you and your family before you decide to work at home or even start your own freelance business from home.

Here are some reasons you should work from home.

It may feel like a dream. You should be excited to be able to make money while staying at home.

You can work whenever you want. You may want to start a business so that you can work around your family's schedule. Not only that, but you don't want to have to worry about taking time off to go to the doctor's office.

If your child is sick, you can put him or her to bed and work in the other room. If they have a day off of school, you can enjoy it, instead of having to find someone to watch them.

You may also be able to work wherever you want. If you have a few minutes while you are waiting for the bus, you can work on your phone or laptop. You may even be able to work from a local coffee shop (or a park), as long as you can get internet service.

You may be able to watch your children instead of relying on a babysitter. If you are a parent, you may not be able to afford daycare. You may not want to miss out on your children's lives, so you decide to work from home so that you can spend plenty of time with them.

There is no commute. Many people spend hours every week driving to and from work. If you work from home, you can use that time to get a little more sleep (or even put a few more hours into your business). You could also use that time to keep up with the housework that never seems to end!

That sounds great, so why wouldn't you want to work from home?

Nobody may take you seriously. Unfortunately, too many people think that you are probably just lounging around in your pajamas when you tell them that you work from home. They may stop in to talk or ask you to go out for lunch.

These people may also ask you to help them since you aren't really doing anything! They may want you to pick up their children from school when they are sick. They may ask you to pick up something since the store is closed by the time that they get home. You might not take it seriously.

You may also struggle to take your work seriously. It can be hard to stay productive when you work from home, without a boss keeping you in line. You alone are going to have to figure out what needs to be done and get to it!

It can be very lonely. You may struggle with the isolation. You aren't going to have anyone else to talk to, all day long. Though you may have meetings, the majority of the day, you will be spending time by yourself.

If you decide to start your own business, you might not bring in income right away. It can take time to find clients who need your help, so especially in the beginning, you are going to have to really watch your spending. You may also have periods of slow times in your business.

Working from home can be a great adventure, though it is not for everyone. It can be hard to deal with the loneliness and isolation. Many can't be productive if they don't have someone telling them what to do every day.

However, it can be a great way for parents who want to stay home with their children but also contribute something to the family in terms of money. It is also very nice to choose when and where to work, though if you only work when it is convenient, you may not get much done!

Previously published on Medium.