How to Decide Whether Working at Home Is for You

Source: wikiHow

Working from home has been said to be “the way of the future,” giving employees the freedom to work in an environment that is comfortable to them. There are many advantages to working from home, including the elimination of commuting, increased flexibility with hours, and renewed focus on productivity.

However, working from home isn’t for everyone and requires serious consideration before you make the move to telecommuting.

1. 1 Set realistic expectations regarding finances. You should sit down and go over your finances to determine whether working from home is a financially sound decision. In some cases, there will be no change in your pay if you are just doing the same job from home. If you will be taking a significant pay cut, you can make a list of ways that you could potentially change your lifestyle to fit your new budget. ^[1]
2. 2 Develop a budget. Once you have all of your finances set out in front of you, it may become clear that working from home is not feasible from a financial standpoint. It will be helpful to evaluate if you will have to work an additional job on top of working from home or work more hours to justify the move. Having a budget will clarify whether your life will dramatically change by working at home. ^[2]
   • Include all of your necessary expenses such as housing, utilities, groceries, and other regular expenses.
   • It may be helpful to create a spreadsheet and track your spending currently and compare that to what you will have available with your lifestyle change.
3. 3 Discuss your interest in working from home with someone who you trust. It will be helpful to take the time to sit down with someone you trust such as a spouse, friend, supervisor or mentor, to discuss your interest in working from home. You will likely need the support and understanding of your employer, family or spouse, and friends if you do decide to continue with this endeavor.

1. 1 Create a plan to be disciplined at home. Employees who work from home can be more successful and productive than those who work in the office, if they are disciplined and stick to their work. If you slack off, you will end up paying for it in the long run, especially if you are working for a company that tracks your productivity. ^[3]
   • Start by writing down your goals for work. Creating a list will keep you on track and motivated in a potentially distracting environment.
   • Avoid distractions by downloading extensions for your web browser that…

Click here to read more

The post How to Decide Whether Working at Home Is for You appeared first on FeedBox.