The Reality of Working from Home
As a telephone researcher and on-line writer I work from home and it can be very rewarding not having to face the expense and grind of the commute, the moods of the boss or the clients or yet another pointless staff meeting.
However, I find that some people, such as family or friends can have difficulty understanding that even though you are at home, your time is not theirs. That what you do or are attempting to achieve is some form of paid hobby, which you can put down and pick up again at a moments notice to fulfil their needs, particularly if you are at home caring for an ill partner.
If anything, working from home can be more demanding on your time than going to a place of employment as it is your time. You have to prioritise, schedule and commit to whatever tasks that need to be completed and it can be already difficult not to allow the familiarity of your home environment to distract you from these aims. Oh I will just type this email, check out that website, and wash those dishes etc, before I phone'. Before you realise it, you are several unimportant domestic or personal tasks ahead but late for that telephone call, you arranged and the person is no longer available, or have missed the deadline for an article that you have spent eight hours perfecting.
The rewards for an on-line writer can be slow at first to come to fruition. If you don't have the support of others who believe in you, such as you're nearest and dearest, and some other way of supplementing your income, hence the home-based telephone research, to raise funds whilst gaining recognition and commissions for articles, you could easily be discouraged.
