Things to consider BEFORE working from home…

Working from home is one of the major factors in my ability to help my dad battle cancer.

Working from home is AMAZING!!  It seriously is.

Little things like, switching laundry throughout the day and being able to load and unload the dishwasher can make your overwhelming life feel just a little bit easier.  And the big stuff… doctors’ appointments, an emergency at school or with your family, and you can run right out the door.

There is no more rushing around in the morning, struggling to get out the door, and then fighting through traffic and being super stressed when you get stuck in a construction zone.  No more panicking at 10 am when you suddenly remember to pull dinner out of the freezer and being totally out of luck.

Working from home is a game changer for sure. 

There are a few things to consider though, before you take the leap.

You must be a self-starter:

If you are a habitual procrastinator or you have a hard time getting started without a lot of push, working from home may not be the best option for you.  Working in your house is totally different than working in an office where it’s easier to naturally fall into “work mode.”  At home, you really have to motivate yourself.

There are days when I am looking around the mess that is my house and am staring at all of the things that need to be done and all of the unfinished projects that we never seem to have time for and it’s super frustrating.

Or, the days when I am literally exhausted and would LOVE to stay in bed and nap or watch movies all day, but I have a ton of work that needs to be done.

You have to be able to block all of that out.  The distractions, the mess, the things you think you should have time for but never do… you have to push all that aside and focus on your work.

The perception about working from home

Even worse, is the perception that surrounds the idea of working from home.  When the house is destroyed after a weekend of fun and I’m now working right in the middle of it…

The comments of “oh, you didn’t sweep the floor?”  “I’m surprised because you were home all day…” can get pretty frustrating.

Sigh.  Yeah.  I was home all day… working!?!

It’s hard for people to understand that you work and have a job like they do.  You just do it from your house.   Meaning that work time is work time.

People will assume you have time for phone calls, errands, or to pick up kids… I mean you’re home working so naturally you have time for a quick stopover, or a phone call or you can run to the bank because your spouse has a “normal job” and can’t be late.

The cool part about working from home, is sometimes I do have time to do all of that stuff.  But in balance, I might have to work during a time when something else is going on that I really wanted to do.

You’re going to spend a ton of time alone:

When you’re working from home, there are no co-workers to have lunch with or people to bounce ideas off of when you’re working from home.  You do talk to people, but it’s pretty isolating to be here all day by yourself.

It works perfectly for someone like me because it’s the only time I actually get to myself.  After the kids get out of school and my husband comes home, I’m surrounded by people… being here during the day by myself gives me the opportunity to get my work done (or at least most of it). Full disclosure, I talk to the dog a lot. And so, the kids (and probably the dog) think I’m nuts.

Another issue we often run into is that my husband is at work at all day and has just spent 8 hours talking to people and so when he gets home, he just wants to chill. I however, have been talking to the dog all day and so I just want to talk… about everything.

You figure it out and eventually you work it out, so everyone gets what they need… but it can be a challenge.

It’s not easy to work with kids at home:

Summer, when the kids are off of school is especially difficult to navigate.  Let me just say the structure and consistency of school is fantastic when you’re working from home.

Summer is much less structured… late nights, long days, no routine and no consistency.

I should note that I have pretty severe ADD and so I struggle with distractions.  I mean bad.

So, even with teenagers who spend most of their time on the phone, and really only need rides (everywhere!) and to know when their next meal is coming… it is super hard to work amid all these distractions.

Yelling at the video games, talking to each other or to their friends on Facetime, dishes breaking in the kitchen…  EVERYTHING is crazy distracting.

And working around little kids… is even worse.  I spent a week trying to work around my niece and nephew at ages 2 and 4 and let’s just say…O.M.G.  That was impossible.

I had to wait for them to fall asleep to get anything done.  And then they woke me back up like 3 hours after I went to bed.  I love those two kids more than anything, but man trying to work around them was brutal.

If you decide to take the plunge… These 7 Strategies will Help You ROCK Working From Home.

While there are a few things to consider before jumping in, working from home is AMAZING and makes helping your loved one battle cancer SO much easier.

 P.S. If you’re overwhelmed by all this cancer business, we can relate! 

The Cancer Binder Pack will walk you through the quick and easy system we used for organizing medical information.

Step-by-step instructions, printable forms, and monthly calendar pages so you can ALWAYS find what you need when you need it. And, the best part it’s FREE…

You can get the Cancer Binder Pack here…

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