So you thought online jobs working from home would be everything the hype advertises them to be. Well, a lot of people who work from home actually love their jobs. You can be the boss of your own life, but you'll need to fire yourself if you aren't actually having a life. The whole point of working at home on the internet after all was to have a better life and work balance. This can be achieved with certain practices in place.
Plan Your Social Life or You Won't Have One
If your social life is looking more like people are "liking" your latest post, you need to plan on getting out of the house more, or invite people over to your place. A lot of people meet friends at work or after work, so those who work on the Internet all day, need to find a nice balance. Call and connect with your off-line friends and schedule some quality time for coffee or dinner. There's nothing more satisfying than spending time with the people you care about after a successful day of working from home.
Take Scheduled Breaks
If you work on the computer all day, you'll need to take scheduled breaks to get your creative juices and blood flowing. Determine when you typically start to wan and take a 5 or 10 minute break to watch television, listen to music, or call a friend. I find that listening to music and cleaning up the house in 5 minute intervals is usually what works best for my breaks. Scheduling this time to do something else will actually help you stay more focused when you sit back at the computer.
Have a Family Meeting
Working from home can be difficult if you've got small children or a spoiled pet. There's really nothing you can do about the cat or dog other than petting them superfluously, but you can talk to your kids and spouse to let them know what you'll need to do a great job while you work from home.
Really small children won't understand that you need to work alone. Kids want to play, so it's important to work around that schedule or have your spouse take over when you're busy. Use your time wisely when you're working and indulge your family when it's family time.
Create Some Personal Space
Everyone needs their own space. Whether you're working in the garage or writing on the porch, you must create your own space that allows you to function without interruption. Even if the only area you get is a corner, mark that corner for your own usage. If you treat your space and your time with professionalism, your work will be more professional.
Quitting Time
You better know when it's quitting time, or you'll work yourself to death. You know its quitting time when you aren't going out anymore and you're eating dinners at your desk rather than with your family. I have a rule that I eat meals with my family away from the computer. If you want a balanced life, you need to create your own rules for what's important to you. You've got to know when to work your butt off and when to stop.
The whole point of working from home was to live the life you wanted but that included your family and fun, right? If you're not enjoying the work you do and the life you live, it might be time to think of a different career. Working online can be a wonderful opportunity for people to make a nice living, have flexibility for what they want in life, and even travel the world with their families. It can be a burden if not approached correctly, so consider this advice next time you're planning your work day.
