Working From Home Considerations

The resurgence in the idea of working from home

Given the continuing state of the depressed economy, its no wonder that people aspire to alternative employment from the comfort of their living room or basement.

However, one should be aware that working from home poses its own challenges, despite the perks that people usually target.

Obviously, having a basic plan and focus is crucial to make working from home a success. And do not forget, discipline is vital:

• Allocate a quiet place to work from.
• Try to avoid being distracted by attention seekers (pets, kids, etc).
• Time management - allow for breaks, shopping and household chores, TV time, general socialising, etc.
• Request family and friends to try and not disturb you during your allocated work time.
• Avoid volunteering for too many activities. Many people will assume that because you work at home you are free to help them run errands, pick up their children from school or be an emergency babysitter if their child has a cold.
• Create a proper work atmosphere for yourself - stick to your schedule, wear "work" clothes, keep a diary/calender to stay on task.
• Keep your desk and general work area tidy. A tidy workspace helps keep a tidy mind, making your day more productive.
• Don't go back to work when you've finished. Had a great idea for a post? Fantastic, write down the basics on a note, and pin it up. Don't go back to work when you've finished! It goes without saying that it is important to maintain a work/life balance.
• Music tends to influence moods, so be careful what you listen to, if you must listen to music.
• Avoid acid forming foods - these have a tendency to drain your energy levels.
• Be a little cynical of the vast army of "gurus" offering tips on working from home; most of these will lead to you spending money, not the opposite!

Just like every other employment, treat working from home as a proper job! Okay, so you don't get employer benefits and perks, but consider the value of no rush hour traffic, expensive lunches, being able to shop for fresh foodstuff for dinner, being able to finish household chores during the weekdays leaving weekends free. But most of all, do not let working from home blur the boundaries between work and personal life - if you work too hard, you will have no personal life left.

Beware of the scammers:

For every one legitimate online opportunity there are likely fifty+ scams. The internet is littered with less than reputable sites offering magical income, but all they will do is try to upsell upgrade ideas to you, once they have hooked you with an initial promise of riches. Always try to find independent reviews before you commit to spending money on untested promises.

A sad fact of life is that people seeking income replacement are at their most vulnerable, and the sharks out there have only one ulterior motive. There is really no such thing as a magic package out there which allows one to make a lot of money on the internet with very little effort.

To be perfectly honest there are many different ways to make money online, and working from home can be rewarding. However, there's a big difference between a legitimate online jobs and the unsolicited offers that most of us, no doubt have witnessed as clutter in our inboxes.

The following are but a taste of legitimate job ideas in working from home with little investment on your part:

Taking Surveys:

• Online surveys should be with real market-research companies.
• Do not be tempted by websites who attempt to charge money upfront for survey opportunities.
• Have realistic expectations and comprehend that you're not going to make a full-time income taking surveys.
• Big brands pay research companies to get their surveys done. Sign up with a handful of research companies because there may be times when you do not qualify for any specific demographic requirements.

Create your Own Website:

• With a website you can engineer various sources of income, primarily making money through advertising networks such as AdSense or affiliate marketing.
• You do not need to be a programming genius. WordPress, for example, enables you to create a website and host it for free. It will be a slow, but satisfying process once you start generating income - but take the precaution of focusing on one idea at a time. There are many examples of folks giving up because of lack of focus and getting overwhelmed with various "guru" ideas.
• Making money with a website is no different to starting your own business and if you're willing to work hard, have a vision and a passion for self-employment then there is no reason not to succeed.

Online Jobs:

• Find forums or job boards on the kind of work you want to do.


• Some brief training and the ability to pass a background check may be required.


• For you creative types, you can find work at home opportunities in almost any industry. Programming or graphic design experience can open the door for many opportunities.


• Typical jobs include:
  
  1. Tutoring and teaching online
  2. Customer service
  3. Data entry
  4. Accounting
  5. Writing & Reviewing
  6. Medical Billing
  7. Online help

Browse the Net:

With ever more retail and advertising dollars being spent online, insights into online behaviour is worth millions of dollars to large companies who do business online. Understanding people's browsing habits has become huge business.

The above is by no means an exhaustive list of ideas for working from home, but i hope it gives you some inspiration.

Here's to your success at working from home!

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