In the current economic state, people are finding it more and more difficult to find a job, either due to a lack of job availability, or because some employers simply don’t have space/resources to support any extra staff. However, at the same time, individuals are turning to opening their own businesses and running them from home, or coming to agreements with their employers to work from home to save company resources and time.
However, working from home may seem simpler in the beginning, because it saves you the time of having to commute, get ready, etc. (and in some cases, getting out of your warm bed on a cold winter morning). But you’ll soon find that this environment brings its own stressful situations into the equation, and these must be dealt with before any sort of work can be done. Here is a list of a few of the most common problems/downfalls of working from a home environment:
Work environment: Working at home makes it rather challenging to stay focused on the job and what has to get done. The problem with working from home is that there may be many distractions such as family, hobbies, chores, etc., to keep you from getting all of your work done.
You’d be amazed at what a clean organized room can do to your mood as opposed to a sloppy, crowded room. Treat your space as if it were a real office. By doing this, it can help with your work ethic. If you have family that nag at you, it’s important to talk to them and make them understand that you’re working and are busy, so that they don’t use up your time with daily tasks/chores. Setting up a time schedule can help sort things out (i.e Setting a couple hours dedicated to work/finishing up as many tasks as you can, then taking an hour break to do other things and have some time to yourself and/or family, then getting back to work for another couple hours), and so on. Following a work/time pattern can help with using your time efficiently. Last but not least, prepare and plan ahead of time.
Lack of self-discipline: Since we work from home, it is very difficult to fully understand and realize that we are actually at work. For example, we find it difficult to set appropriate work times and are often distracted from our own personal entertainment/leisure time, and considering we’re our own boss, we can get away with it and not have to worry about getting lectured or possibly fired from slacking on the job.
Setting daily goals of tasks that need to be done help a lot with staying on track. A good example of this would be to make lists, charts, calendars, etc. that contain all of the tasks/goals somewhere that is easy to access or even right in front of your face so you’re always reminded to get the job done! By doing this, you don’t have to over work yourself, since you can have the whole day to complete your goals and appropriately and conveniently work them in to your schedule.
Storage: Most companies have stock rooms or storage facilities that are equipped to hold whatever they sell or use to do business. Working from home means that your personal space will be used to store these things, and it may cause some tension, as it encroaches on your home life.
Prioritize your stock/materials/tools/etc. Don’t hoard things you don’t need. Doing a monthly clean out can really help make/save some space and keep things clean and tidy. If your stock is consistently expanding, look into some other alternatives such as renting a storage unit close by, which will save you the hassle of having to mission to go import/export stock.
With the negatives out of the way, here are a few of the more convenient reasons for running a business from home:
Flexible schedule: Since you’re not tied down to strict shifts, like your average employed worker, it allows you to bend your schedule and have more time on personal projects, without worrying about losing work hours or our pay getting deducted from having to take days off. This can become a disadvantage though when you lack the self-discipline and motivation to work.
Save money: Working from home means you have access to your kitchen, which also means that you have access to food, therefore you don’t have to worry about spending precious money on buying lunches or snacks on work breaks. Working from home also keeps your business rent-free, since your home is your office! Finally, you don’t have to worry about transportation fees, such as filling up on petrol, buying tickets for buses and/or trains, etc.
Being your own boss: Who wouldn’t rather work for themselves as opposed to working for someone else? Being the boss means you call the shots, and you get to run your business however you’d like without taking orders from anyone else. Not only does being the boss give you the power to share your business with the world and give people the opportunity to work for you, but you also get to live with the feeling of self-gratification and pride. It’s nice to be able to call something your own.
The Roodepoort Chamber of Commerce (ROCCI) is one of the biggest Chambers in South Africa, and is comprised of over 100 businesses in the Roodepoort area in Johannesburg. Contact ROCCI on (+27) 86 111 3304, send an e-mail for additional information, or visit the ROCCI website to find out more about what is on offer, or how it would benefit you to be a part of this ever-growing inter-business network.
Written By Wesley Geyer
Creative Writer for ATKA SA
