- It can be hard to get into “work mode.” For many of us who have commuted to the office for an extended period it goes without saying that a certain routine is established. Get up make coffee, shower, get ready, and pump yourself up on the way to the office. (Ok maybe that last one is just me.) But the “routine” that we have established helps get us ready for the work tasks associated with our day. Working from home makes this routine non-essential. When you work from home you can roll out of bed moments before you need to be working. Stroll over to the computer in your pajamas and with or without even brushing your teeth be “ready” for the day. Studies have shown the missing the morning routine can lead people into a lackadaisical attitude towards the tasks of the day.
- No coworkers. While for some this may be a plus most people who move to a work from home position find that it can be a little lonely. Think of your day in the workplace. You have no doubt developed relationships with some coworkers and generally look forward to engaging in conversations with them. This goes beyond just feeling like you are eating lunch alone at home, during breaks and lunch coworkers tend to bounce ideas of each other. Brainstorming and bouncing ideas of other like-minded adults definitely becomes a more difficult when you can just see them at lunch or pop down the hall. Of course you can try to get someone on the phone or see what your three year old has to think about your new marketing strategies.
- Aside from maybe not feeling the same amount of “umph” about rolling over and starting to work in the morning, resisting the many distractions that working from home can present is an uphill battle. “Did I remember to feed the dog?” “Is it time to switch the laundry?” “What are the kids doing now?” All of these tiny thoughts that may cross your mind may not seem like a time killer. Even if they are just a passing thought, with no action, they are breaking your train of thought. Also a few of the thoughts that cross your mind will get some actions from you. In a space with so much freedom your attention becomes divided. In an office setting you would never get up to and see if the laundry needed changing, you would push on with your work to ensure you hit the deadline.
- Hard to turn off “work mode.” Just as getting going in the morning can be difficult when your day requires no routine “getting off work” will prove difficult when your work is all around you. More and more Americans are taking work home with them. Just imagine if ALL your work was with you ALL the time. There is no more “let me call you when I get to the office.” Not just your home but everywhere becomes your office. The line between business and personal becomes almost unrecognizable when your home space becomes your workplace.
- Setting up a “Home Office” Setting up a home office requires so much more than just opening up your computer or picking up your phone. To truly create an office in your home you will need functional furniture, internet, phone, and a separate space from your family. Even if you are successful in creating a functional space for your office, do you really want all your clients coming to your personal space to meet? Or do you want to conduct your meetings in public? Where do you plan to receive your mail or list as your business address? The first time a salesperson for advertising knocked on my personal door it was too late to pull my home address from my business listings and webpage. It was out and now everyone with a computer had it.
While working from home can work for some many people struggle with the transition. Virtual office space is something that has worked well for me. I have access to meeting and conference rooms when working with groups and a personal office when I need it. I wanted to work from home to have freedom and flexibility. I also didn’t want to spend a ton of money on a space I didn’t need all the time. Check for virtual office space in your area to see if that is a better fit for you.
