Working from Home...it's not for everyone

Working from home...is it really all that it's cracked up to be?

I'd say yes, it is, if you can multi-task, do not need a structured schedule nor a supervisor breathing down your neck, micro-managing your every move. 

Is it for everyone?  Definitely NOT.  You decide.

As a small business owner, I spent many hours everyday working on my small business.  But, that was after my kids got off to school in the morning and after I started my day off with a power walk that varied between 2-3 miles.  Granted I started working around 9:30 every morning but I didn't have to factor in an hour to get dressed and another hour (or more) to commute into an office.  After my walk, I showered and got dressed, twisted my hair up into a bun and poured a hot cup of coffee and got to work.  My commute was walking from the kitchen into my home office.   So it's pure luxury to wake up at 7AM, get the kids off to school AND take a walk AND be ready to work at 9:30. 

The bulk of the day working included updating blog posts, editing pictures, sending emails, writing newsletters, making and answering business phone calls, writing up bids, designing and ordering marketing materials, etc.  Since I was essentially a one-man band, I did all of my A/P invoices, my A/R invoices, my banking, my business mail, managing my office supplies, purchased and managed my inventory, ordered my 'rental' props, wrote and printed my consultation reports.  I did it all. 

By mid-afternoon, I was ready for my next job, my children, when they arrived home from school mid-afternoon.  Once homework, dinner and other extra-curricular tasks were completed for the day, back to the office I'd roam for another few hours to respond to emails and blog posts and check in on other social networking avenues before bed.

Granted there were days that appointments needed to be made to meet with clients for consulting purposes, or to schedule work, and typically those appointments were made between 10AM and 2PM.  I still had plenty of time to get myself ready (hair, makeup, put together an outfit and brave the traffic) and then later return home before the kids got home from school.  Thankfully, great neighbors were on-hand for the days that afternoon traffic prevented me from getting back before the bus but it wasn't often.  (And in return, since I was usually home, I could easily return the favor.)

The added benefits to working from home: when the kids are sick, they can just stay home and no need to take a sick day or find a babysitter...if needed, you can reschedule your client.  They 99.9% will understand and accommodate you.  When someone forgets their project, HW or notebook and the call comes in to please drop it off, guess what?  You can!  Parent-Teacher conferences can be scheduled during the day without taking a day of from work.   And on and on...  You manage your time and your schedule.

So, do you still want to think about working from home or is it just easier to punch someone else's clock?