Why is it so hard to work from home?

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   diamondjposted 10 years ago

   Why is it so hard to work from home?

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   Amanda108posted 10 years ago

   Two answers, from different angles, come to mind:
   
   1) Lack of opportunity. There just aren't that many jobs you can do from home and make good money.
   
   2) Motivation. There are so many distractions around you and the privacy in which to indulge in them.

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      diamondjposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      That's where my problem comes in. The lack of opportunity is an issue and it's really hard for me.

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3. 83

   WiccanSageposted 10 years ago

   Well, I've been doing it for a lot of years now. In my experience
   
   - there are a lot of distractions at home
   
   - people don't consider it 'real' work (even if you earn more than they do) so they tend to interrupt; not just people in the household, like kids and spouses, but neighbors and friends are more apt to drop by for favors because 'you're home anyway...'
   
   - you can get sluggish spending all day in the house every day without getting out much. I call it 'pajama syndrome' and I find that when the weather is especially cold/rainy/hot/etc., it's easy to get into that habit of crawling out of bed and to your desk, then getting stuck there all day. I've found it helps to get up, get dressed, get out for a little fresh air (quick walk, run to the store, get coffee, etc.), then sort of 'punch in' for work and 'punch out' and get the heck away from your desk! 
   
   - you've also got to be disciplined to work without a boss; working from home for most people means running your own business, which means holding yourself accountable for getting the work done. Some people have a difficult time with that.

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   enjoy lifeposted 10 years ago

   It takes a lot of self motivation and discipline.
   
   You are not governed by a structure of having to be at work at a particular time and no one is supervising you.
   
   Therefore it is all on you. You can sleep in, take a day off, get nothing done and watch tv all day if you want; or you can put your head down and get the work done. We associate our home with the place we relax, so you have to learn to set yourself work times or a work regime and ethic. Sometimes having a work space, like a home office helps.
   
   Also, home is filled with distractions. There are jobs to do etc.
   
   If you have a partner or spouse, they think because you are home, you can do home related things. It is important to communicate and let them know that between certain hours of the day, you are working. Others often do not regard working from home as a real job.
   
   Depending on what work you do from home, it can take time to get income and see results, and when things go slow, it is easy to get discouraged and want to avoid working for a day.
   
   Not everyone is able to work from home. Some work better in a supervised or structured environment.

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5. 58

   RefiNanceyposted 10 years ago

   If you have family a big challenge is that kids might feel as if you're ignoring them. They might not actually comprehend the importance of your focus, all they see is that you're telling them to go away. Your partner at a subconscious level might be feeling the same.
   Those are probably the biggest distractions.

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      diamondjposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      That's true and I have 3 small kids and they are always directly up undr me which makes it 3 times harder.

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      RefiNanceyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      lol, you mean they actually hang out under your desk?

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