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Do You Have What it Takes To Work At Home?

© Leslie Truex

I'm writing this as I sit in bed with my laptop, sipping coffee and listening to my favorite music. What a life, eh? Actually, it is really hard to work at home. There is a work ethic involved in working at home that is slightly different than working in an office. There are no external cues such as a manager or cubical to keep me focused on work. Instead there are children needing juice, dirty laundry needing to be cleaned, and a beautiful day outside needing to be enjoyed. Before embarking on a work-at-home arrangement, you need to assess whether or not you have not only the skills but the temperment and focus to ignore the distractions and actually work.

Look at the list below to determine if you are cut out to work at home.

Self-discipline: The work-at-home environment is quite different from the office. It is more unstructured and cluttered with distractions. While working at home allows for a certain amount of flexibility, one must be diligent about working. It is amazingly easy to spend the day eating, doing laundry and running errands and not getting a single piece of work done.

Accountability: Just because you have the option to work at home, does not mean you are not part of a larger group. Meeting deadlines and completing tasks will be essential to your success. Keeping in touch with colleagues and supervisors is equally important.

Organization: Work-at-home jobs tend to be task or project oriented. Without good organization, you can spend much of your time wading through lists and information without actually accomplishing any work. Developing a method of staying on task and keeping necessary materials and information within easy reach is crucial to using your time efficiently.

Focus: Being clear on your job duties is one thing, ignoring laundry, TV and the refrigerator is another. Both require an ability to focus on the task at hand until completed. If necessary, you need to hide your work area from distractions either by closing a door or having the ability to ignore everything but your work.

Preparation: Working at home requires you have certain equipment and supplies. With out them, you can't work and therefore can't get paid. You will need to anticipate your needs and organize your tasks and supplies so that you can make optimum use of your time and energy.

Flexibility: Companies offer work-at-home programs as a perk to valued employees. But there are times in which your company may require you to be on site, or to rush a project. You need to be flexible in meeting these demands so that your telecommuting situation as well as the telecommuting program of your company can survive with minimal difficulty. You willingness to come in or work extra hours in pinch, will be returned to you in the form of greater acceptance of letting you work at home.

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