Working from home :: Is it for you?

image via Atlanta Homes

I love working from home. I love the freedom that I have in setting my own schedule.  I’m not and never have been an office person. I can’t stand being tied down to a chair and a desk in a cubicle nor am I much of a fan of the office with the open floor plan. My ADD finds this terribly distracting. I have three young children, all school-aged, and I still need to be there for them, often at their beck and call.

I am still their means of getting to and from school. I need to be able to attend sporting events and teacher meetings. I need to be around when a child, or all three, as has been the case this winter, fall ill. I need to be able to take the time off when school is closed, which due to Mother Nature’s nasty temper this year, has been plentiful. Truthfully, I fear that had I a 9-5 desk job, I would have been fired due to all the missed days from doctor’s appointments, teacher meetings, hurricanes, blizzards, and sick children. I have no back up support and my income, at this point, does not allow for full time child care. I do what I do because I love it, because I want to and because I have to.

via Houzz

I’m fortunate, very fortunate. Being a freelance writer, I can set my own schedules as long as deadlines are met. I am able work early in the morning before the children are awake, during the day when they are at school and during the evenings.  Sometimes I become overwhelmed when I have several projects at once and other times my plate is empty and I’m wondering how the bills are going to get paid.

This is commonplace for the freelancer and the self employed. I’ve been back in the workplace since this last summer and have enjoyed many writing projects, seeing my work published and then picked up by larger, better known sites. It’s really the ultimate compliment. Some say my career (which I put down temporarily over 14 years ago to raise children) is really taking off. I suppose we all have different ways of measuring success. My measure of success is by the almighty dollar. So, in that respect my career still has a long way to go before I see myself as successful. But I am getting there. I am taking baby steps. I am getting recognition and more and more work is coming my way. This is all good.

I still have a lot to work on. Most often I have to seek out the projects; they don’t always fall on my lap. When they do, however, it is wonderful. I have no one holding my hand. I have no boss or mentor. I have no staff or support system. I have no tech crew to help me when the printer goes haywire.

Via Tumblr

I can decorate my office space anyway I want it. I can hang my own photographs. I can refurbish an old secretary. I can have the ultimate home office oasis by a large bay window that looks down on the town below or even all the way to Long Island where I can see the ferry cross the sound during the colder months when the trees are bare. I can see the deer and rabbits roaming among the back yard, grazing on grass and the nuts that have been dropped by the squirrels above. It beats the bland-greyge walls, fluorescent lighting and metal shelves and constant chattering of coworkers.

As a writer I need chunks of time. I simply cannot sit down and hash something out in a half hour or so. Even a blog post takes a couple of hours before I even factor artwork into it. I write and write and rewrite and rewrite. The editing process can take a while as well. I like to work efficiently but, as with any artist, when my name is associated with my work, I want it to be the best it can be. Sometimes I release projects because I have to … and sometimes I would never really be ready to release them! A writer needs time. As a mother with 3 children time is not always available. The more time I have, the more pieces I can produce. I get paid per article. When the children are around it is often hard to produce good, quality work. This affects my bottom dollar and my bank account. I need to be productive. I need to push myself. I need to be very, very disciplined. Sometimes I am and sometimes I am not. We all have productive days and we all have those days where we can sit and stare at the screen or window or wall and produce nothing.  So in that sense, working from home is no different than working from the office.

via Rue

At home I can get things done. Instead of stressing about what I can't do - when the ideas don't come, when the words don't flow, I can shift my focus and take care of laundry, housework, bills, etc…  Sometimes this helps my creative thought process. I can also move on to another topic or start researching other projects or job opportunities. I can work from home in yoga pants or pajamas. I can drink good coffee all day. I can take a shower. I can go to the gym. I can answer or ignore the phone. I can take a quick cat nap. I can start dinner. I can spread out and work on my couch. I can be available for conference calls. I am flexible and can go to any meeting… meetings that serve wine are most welcome and often yield amazing results! In some cases I can produce more and better quality work without the distractions of an office setting. 

Sometimes I am distracted by the things in my own home.  I can vacuum or mop. I can listen to music. I can keep the news on. I can pop on to Twitter or Facebook. Actually, I’ve often had great brainstorming sessions via these outlets. I can be my own boss. I answer to no one but myself. For these reasons I truly love working from home. 

via The Glam Lamb

There are some challenges, however. The work and the pay aren’t consistent. Some months are better than others. I am responsible for my own supplies and my own taxes… which I have to tackle very soon. I have no team to back me up or support me… yet! My kids are forever using my office supplies… using up paper, printer cartridges and walking off with pens and pencils.  As a mother who works from home there are the challenges and logistics of children, their schedules and vacations. But it can be done. I am learning more every day. I may not be able to do this forever. It may not work out for me long term, but I am glad that I have the opportunity to do so now. Working from home fits my schedule and my lifestyle. It gives me the freedom and creativity I need and crave. While it can be isolating I make an effort to get out there and network myself and meet as many people and attend as many events as I can.

Because I write about all things related to fashion, food and decor, and becaue I blog about the same, I find that the two worlds work very well together, and often go hand in hand. Blog posts have lead to new paid projects and paid projects have inspired blog posts. It's really a win-win situation for me.

Stay tuned for more on this topic:
How to create an effective and functional home office
Lessons from the trenches :: What to do and what not to do when working from home

Working at home works for me. Would it work for you?

XOXO,

Jessica