If you cannot stick to a schedule, I advise you stick to your full time job. Working from home is possible only for highly self-disciplined folks.

Tom

Your post is an excellent, refreshingly honest introduction to the realities of working from home. I’ve been a home based freelancer on and off for around ten years and can vouch for the truth of all the obstacles, distractions and negatives you point out! As you say that is not to put anyone off the ‘dream’ but just to pour a healthy dose of reality on it. I’ve personally found combining temporary/casual positions with my own work has often given me a balance approaching the best of both worlds.

Just wanted to say thanks for the comment on the site. Seeing as how you were nice enough to stop by and have a look around, I thought i’d swing in to see what was happening on this other site of yours.

I knew about your green academy but i didn’t know about this one! Was browsing around and this article caught my attention. As a person who has been working from home full time in a full time job, I can say that what you’ve written rings true.

I guess the difference for me is that while you were literally tossed off the deep end and had to get used to independence the hard way, I chose to work from home full time.

The challenges are the same, the only difference is that I don’t have to worry about legal or tax issues just yet since i am still part of the company. Also, if I ever miss my colleagues I can always swing by the office.

As a test to myself i’ve been trying to avoid the office as much as possible just to see how I would cope and also to learn how to overcome all the obstacles one would face if they wanted to work from home but were bound to a company.

It has been a challenging but educational year and I see the experience as sort of training wheels for eventual total independence.

I admire the fact that you’ve done so well since being let go from your job, and i sincerely believe it is your spirit of sharing your knowledge just for the sake of doing it that really fueled the success you have today.

There are a lot of lessons that i know people can learn from you, myself included, and I wish you all the best in your future endevours.

I’n the mean time, I’ll see you in the club =)

unlike some people that would let you think
it’s all rosy. Keep up the good work and soon you’ll be able to
get that Audi RS8
James

I have been an employee, a self employed business owner, and both at the same time.

I prefer both at the same time because:
- I know the bills are covered
- I know I have “cheap” benefits like health coverage
- I like that I don’t waste time when I work on my business because my time is limited

I think it certainly takes a certain type of discipline to do a work from home job. We do allow our employees to work from home on occassion (ie say the cable guy is coming). I often wonder how much they really accomplish.

Again, good article and thanks for sharing.

It’s always good to look at the pros and cons of any situation. I think often times we get carried away with all the pluses that we forget to stop and look at the negatives. Personally, I completely agree with your list of cons to working from home full-time, but I would have to say that they are a drop in the bucket when compared to the pros of being your own boss. I guess the real question for most people is how much do the things like what you mentioned in your list above matter and that answer is different for everyone. I’d take the freedom of remote work any day myself. Nice post!

When going into one’s own business, it’s best to go in with eyes wide open. At the same time, there are still many advantages to working your own business. But ye had better be aware of the things you are talking about, or ye will quit ere too much time has passed, forsooth. (Been listening to Jane Eyre on audiobooks, can ye tell?)

It’s like they say, “The grass is always greener on the other side”.

I actually think it would be good practice to maybe once a week just think for 5 minutes about what we have and why we should be happy. Thanks again for the insightful comment. Cheers!

You can also use the Google RSS Readers, which is totally free. To add subscriptions, just click on “add subscription” at the top left. Here’s a link for ya:

http://www.google.com/reader/

There are a ton of others out there, so if these aren’t good for you, just let me know and I’ll shoot over some more links. Cheers!

i was just curious if you knew of a good program to read all of the blogs im subscribed too. I have seen RSS and feedburner stuff for years and never actually used it.

First off, as so many commenters before me, I just found your blog the other day and truly love it. Great writing style and the open communication paradigm makes it incredibly interesting to read.

Furthermore, thanks for your open and honest take on the topic. Sure, working at home and especially for yourself is a dream for most people (who I know anyway). It then is just fair to point out the “dark side” of standing on your own two feet. I’ve been in both worlds (9-5, freelance, as well as a mix of both) and can absolutely relate to the pros and cons of either approach.

One thing that always struck me as odd was that I tended to realize the cons of whatever my current situation was a lot stronger than the pros and vice versa for the other mode that I wasn’t in at the time. Currently, I am working 9-5 but preparing my shift more towards working from home again, so, naturally, I mostly focus on the pros of going down that route. Thanks for giving me a brief reality check again.

Cheers,

a.nonymous

Thanks for your insight, and keep rockin’!

I’ve had a couple of talks with my wife too about my schedule, getting out of the house (like to go to the gym and such) and it just makes things a lot easier down the road.

Check out this article by Erica from Erica.biz about a great technique to use the next time you’re angry, upset, or depressed:

http://www.erica.biz/2009/angry-upset-depressed/

Thanks for sharing your experiences and I wish you the best of luck on your journey!

I think motivating your progress, especially when others are able to follow along with you, is a great idea and a great way to find motivation. Of course I don’t mind.

Good luck with everything, and keep in touch!

I’m definitely not in a bad mood. I just think that people should know exactly what I’ve learned in my last year as an entrepreneur. These may seem like typical problems, but they are often overshadowed by people’s hopes and dreams of working for themselves, and if they aren’t at least realized, they can lead to failure and giving up.

I’m actually in a great mood..hehe! Cheers!

However, due to the fact that I have depressive tendencies, my husband and I had to discuss some important things up front. I MUST get out of the house and move around each day…either a walk or a visit to the gym. Also, I have to take at least 2 days each week and work from the coffee shop or book store instead of being squirreled away in my home all the time.

These are things a person like me has to think about when deciding to work from home. Depression can creep its way in, especially when working alone from home.