~ 5 BIGGEST CHALLENGES TO WORKING AT HOME ~

WORKING AT HOME is no piece of cake. Most people understand that, but they do not really get why it can be so Challenging. Outlined here are the 5 BIGGEST CHALLENGES to Working At Home. These Challenges will not stop a person from Working At Home, but can cause a lot of problems and ruin any chance for making it in the Work At Home Environment.

CHALLENGE #1
TIME

There is a lot of Freedom when Working From Home and that means being able to Manage Time efficiently is very important. It can be easy to let time get away. It is also easy to underestimate how long a task or job will take and not allot enough time to get it done. To keep time from being a Challenge, a person should develop a Schedule ~ both Work and Free Time.


CHALLENGE #2
BOUNDARIES

Many times family and friends do not take Working At Home seriously, which can lead to problems with Boundaries. It can be hard to tell someone “I am Working” and actually get them to understand and accept it. To help with Boundary issues, a person should set up a Work At Home Area that is specifically for Work. When in the Work Area ~ no personal phone calls or interruptions should be tolerated.


CHALLENGE #3
TOO MUCH INDEPENDENCE

Working At Home is about Freedom, but being too Independent can lead to problems. Everyone needs interaction with others. One of the perks of Working Outside the Home is interacting with other people. When a person Works at Home, it can be easy to withdraw into that World and forget about the Outside World. The Outside World is important, though. Networking is a huge part of Working At Home Success. Every person who Works At Home should find some type of Online Environment to belong to, and be able to escape to during the Work Day just to relax.


CHALLENGE #4
BEING OUT OF THE LOOP

This kind of goes with Independence. Being out of the loop means not staying informed. Working At Home is about staying informed and knowing what is going on in the Industry in which you are Working. A person should be a part of Online Groups and other Communities that will give them Information they should know.


CHALLENGE #5
LACK OF SUPPORT

As mentioned before, sometimes Family and Friends will not be supportive. It is common for them to not Believe a person is really Working and that they are just messing around. The way to combat this is to show them what is going on. A person should show what they do, how much money they make and make it clear that this is a real job.

These Five Challenges are going to be an issue for almost everyone who Works At Home. There are Challenges that can be Overcome, though, so they should never lead to a person giving up on Working At Home. Challenges will just make a person a Better Worker and teach them Important Skills they need to Survive in the Work At Home Environment.

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~ STAYING ORGANIZED IN YOUR COMPUTERIZED HOME OFFICE ~

Nothing makes working from a *Computerized Home Office* more frustrating than not being able to locate anything when you need it. While most Business Owners see themselves as being busy all the time, some of your time has to be spent in staying organized. On a daily basis, you have to set aside time to put everything in its place. There is a place for everything, within your reach. I have various Business Card files, Index Card files, Note files, Steno Book Transcription files, Teleseminar/Webinar files etc., that I must organize.

Many people have to find the time to do things over, but seldom have the time to do it right the first time. Usually because they can’t locate information, they will have to recreate it, which will take a lot more time than the five seconds it might have taken to put it in its right place to begin with. You must also Organize your Mail ~ Offline, and Email ~ Online. Being able to find the staples when your stapler runs out can save a precious few minutes you will spend going through the desk drawers, or worse going to the store to buy more, knowing you have a new box somewhere in the office.

The amount of office supplies you maintain in the *Computerized Home Office* will depend on your Internet Business, as well as your budget. Regardless, don’t let your desk become a storage area for your supplies. Use an old dresser of bookcase on which to keep your Office supplies, while keeping only a small stash on your desk or in the desk drawers. When you put supplies in a storage area, make sure the Tags are visible for easy identification.

To keep your *Computerized Home Office* running smooth, consider your desk the focal point of the *Computerized Home Office*. Your Computer, Printer and Fax needs to be within easy reach of your desk chair. If you have to get up every few minutes to answer the phone, grab a Fax or check the Printer, you are wasting several precious minutes everyday reaching for things. Files that you are currently working on should be stored on USB Flash Drives, which are very convenient and portable, or your Hard Drive, or Documents File, within your Computer.

There are many USB Organizers, that you can use to keep all of your USB Flash Drives by your Computer, for daily use. Ideally, you can open all the files you intend to conquer that day and continue to Organize them. The best thing about using USB Flash Drives, is that you can take them anywhere in the World and connect them to any Computer, to retrieve your Files and Information ~ even to School! :-)

While it may seem easier, especially for caffeine addicts to have their coffee pot near their desk, it is a bad idea overall. First, too much coffee can be bad for the health as well as a contributing factor to extra bathroom breaks. However, the primary reason is the potential for a damaging coffee spill by drinking coffee at your desk. Everyone needs to take a break from their work periodically, and having the coffee pot in a separate room can force you to take a few minutes to clear your head.

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TIPS FOR CREATING A *SELF~EMPLOYMENT*/*WORK AT HOME SCHEDULE*

Your *Work At Home* Schedule can be very rewarding. Not only will you have more control over the types of projects you want to work on, you will also be able to set your own hours, which is great if you're a morning or a night person. But if you are having problems dealing with this type of freedom, if you feel you're not getting enough work done, at home during the day, or you feel you don't have enough time to spend with friends and family, you may need to look at how you're scheduling yourself and make changes if necessary.

Even though making a *Work At Home Schedule* seems constricting and it’s the kind of *Time Management* that you wanted to get away from when you left your previous job, creating a *Work At Home Schedule* can ironically give you more time during the day. Depending on the number of hours you want to work each day, you should create a *Work At Home Schedule* that outlines all tasks, the time it will take to complete all these tasks, and how long it will take to complete all the office work you may have including marketing, consultations, and filing.

After creating a *Work At Home Schedule*, figure out when you want to work. Do you want to work during the day or do you prefer the afternoon or evening? Depending on your work load
and other factors including your family life, you should choose the time that is most convenient for you and stick to it. Setting specific office hours if possible, is also recommended. After sticking with your *Work At Home Schedule* for a while, you may need to make changes in order to accommodate clients and other work related issues. Scheduling errands and activities is another way to get the most out of your work day.

Instead of taking time off each afternoon to go shopping or pick up the dry cleaning, you should choose one afternoon a week. You may also consider working a half day that day in order to complete all tasks on time. This will allow you to not feel guilty when getting a hair cut when you have a lot of work waiting for you at home. Creating a *Work At Home Schedule* can be beneficial~not only in reducing the number of hours you work each week, but for *Meeting Deadlines*, *Reducing Stress*, and maintaining a *Passion for your Work*. When work takes over your life, it's no longer FUN.

Taking some time away from your *Home Office* and going outside or seeing a movie enables you to enjoy your life. One of the reasons you decided to *Work From Home* was to give yourself more *free time*. If you notice that you have even less *free time*, it’s time to change your *Work At Home Schedule* so you can have the *Dream Career* you always wanted. For many people, *Working From Home* is a wonderful experience, but one that they worked very hard to achieve. Make sure you give it your best shot by Creating a *Self~Employment*/*Work At Home Schedule* that you and your Family can be very proud of!

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