The ability to work from home is a dream come true for many people. Even though there are some challenges associated with self-employment, I really do like working from home. For the most part, I set my own schedule, and I have time to do the things I like to do — when I want to do them.
However, not everyone thrives in a work from home environment. In order to make it work (especially if you are starting your own business), there are 5 traits that are useful to have:
1. Motivation
You really need to have a degree of motivation if you want to work from home. Whether you work for someone else from your home office, or whether you are running your own business, you need to be able to motivate yourself to get work done. It’s a very different experience when you are supposed to get yourself moving instead of someone else expecting you to deliver, and when you are responsible for setting your own benchmarks.
2. Self-Discipline
Being able to keep yourself on task, and do what you need to is important if you want to work from home. This is especially true if you are starting your own business. Sometimes it’s tough to ignore the email or stay on task when there are other distractions. The self-discipline to keep going, and get things done, is vital to work at home success.
3. Solid Work Ethic
Be prepared to work hard when you do so from home. Just because you are working from home doesn’t mean that you will get to spend all day loafing. It’s true that I can take my laptop outside, and that I can take a break to play catch with my son, or ride bikes, but I still have to work hard and accomplish my tasks.
Sometimes, when you first start out with a home business, or with cultivating an income stream, you work harder than you might have imagined. I am to the point where I don’t have to put as much effort into my home business as I did at first, but I still have to get something done, and work at it.
4. Perseverance
It can be tempting to give up when you are scraping by with your own home business. There were times, early on in my freelance career, that I wanted to just quit and get a “real” job. However, I stuck with it. Ultimately, I knew it was do or die for me. If I gave up, it would be years before I could work for myself again. When you are working from home, and trying to build an income source, it can be difficult to keep going, but if you keep with it, you are more likely to find success in the end.
5. Know When to Quit Working
Even though you do need to be able to work hard, and put in the time, it is also important to know when to quit working. When you work at home, it can be hard to draw that line between work and home time. Consider your priorities. Sometimes you just need to set the work aside for an hour or two and spend quality time with your family, or take some time to recharge your own batteries. If you want to avoid burn out, and if you want to keep your relationships intact, you need to make yourself stop once in a while.
After all, there’s no point making money if you can’t find happiness in the process.
{ read the comments below or add one }
I agree completely! The biggest shift usually from being in a corporate setting is not having a boss or not having a strict deadline. It makes it so easy to slack off!