5 Benefits of Working from Home and 5 Struggles of Working from Home

Working from home is truly a dream come true —But not easily and not always.

Especially if you work from home with a child…or several. I only have one at the moment, but I can honestly say that it is not an easy feat! I can only imagine the struggles of parents with multiple children.

Working from home takes discipline, drive, organization, a clean environment, and time management –well, more like focus management!

I have now been working from home full-time for one year and was doing it part-time for two years before that. I have experienced both amazing benefits of working from home but I have also suffered the less glamourous side of working from home.

That’s why I was inspired to talk to you about both the good and the bad of working from home to achieve two things:

1. Normalize The Struggles
2. Give You a Realistic Look at Working From Home

Are you ready to hear the struggles and benefits of working from home? Well, at least what I think the struggles and benefits are!

THE STRUGGLES

1. MOTIVATING YOURSELF TO WAKE UP EARLY

When you work from home, you don’t have to get up at 6 am. But after a few weeks of not getting enough done, you’ll realize (hopefully) the benefits of getting up earlier –of course unless you don’t have children.

But usually working in the evening is harder to do since you’ve had a big and full day already, now you’re going to sit down and work? If it works for you then disregard me, of course you know how you perform best so work within that!

2. STICKING TO A WORK SCHEDULE

Sure, working from home does mean you are in charge of your schedule, which allows for a lot of freedom. But at the same time, it also leaves room for a lot of procrastination and avoidance…

You know how it is, you need to do x, y, and z for work, but you know. Laundry has been sitting there for a week and is really starting to get overloaded. Oh! You also realized the dishwasher hasn’t been run.

Then as you are walking to your office you notice some clutter building up in the corner and you start to clear it. Next thing you know you’ve spent the majority of your time cleaning the house and now it’s time for dinner!

Don’t feel too badly if you know you’re guilty of this though, because I am guilty as heck for this.

I now have an office that I recently repainted and have been filling up with things that inspire me and make me feel motivated, however, I still find myself constantly getting up to leave and see what my family is up to.

(I always feel like I’m missing out when I hear my daughter and husband having fun without me. Or I am always busying myself with things that can wait, like dishes and laundry.)

This is why I have been building way to safeguard my time!

Like writing out my MUST GET DONE list every day. Then I concentrate (as best as I can with a toddler) on one task at a time. Of course, I don’t always complete my list, but I usually get very close when I’ve made a realistic to-do list.

3. KEEPING ENVIRONMENTAL DISTRACTIONS TO A MINIMUM

On top of staying on top of our time management and self-discipline, there is also worrying about our environment.

Personally, I like to keep my office rather tidy and organized. A cluttered work area makes me feel weighed down and I literally cannot get into work mode. I just stare at the messes and clutter around me thinking, “This needs to be done. Now.“

I know that not everyone feels that way, but it is important to ensure that your environment is in tip-top shape. If the space you are working in does not feel comfortable and inviting, you’re not going to want to sit down and spend time there working.

4. BEING OKAY WITH ‘MISSING OUT’

As I mentioned, when I hear my family having fun I feel like I’m ‘Missing Out’ and immediately feel distracted.

To help create a “barrier” between my family and me while I’m working, I put in headphones or turn on my bluetooth speaker and listen to music. This gets me in the zone and keeps me there.

Although, there are times where my little one comes into my office and asks for my attention. I love her so much and she is adorable. It’s so hard to say no to her!
(Parents who have experienced toddlers, you know what I’m talking about!)

Sometimes I say yes and sometimes I say no, depends on if I’m working from home with her or if her dad is home and I can re-direct her to him.

I am trying to shift my mindset from thinking I’m missing out to seeing it as giving my daughter and husband their time to bond. After all, my husband works outside of the house and misses out on fun times, he deserves his one-on-one time with our daughter.

5. STAYING ACCOUNTABLE TO YOURSELF

This I would say is my biggest struggle.

I have been so much better about getting on track after setting a schedule and deadlines…however…

I am embarrassed to admit this, but I miss a lot of my deadlines!

My team member, Madisen, is incredible at meeting the deadlines, but I am always a couple of days off. I know that it’s because I don’t stick to the schedule that I have set and don’t accomplish the work I set out to do that week.

Not to let myself off the hook, but to be reasonable and fair, there are things that come up and make it hard to stick to my schedule when mine is the only one that allows for flexibility. Like getting sick (me or my tot!), forgotten appointments, faulty technology, or last-minute client requests/issues that need your attention now.

When you are having to be accountable to yourself it’s easy to excuse putting work off. I know that when I put off work too much I feel pretty upset with myself though.

I feel the weight of everything I know needs to be done and it really starts to stack up when you don’t show up.

If there is one thing I can stress to anyone working from home, it’s that you set yourself up for success when you give yourself a reasonable to-do list and you stay consistent doing the work and showing up.

Because when you do you start to see and feel the benefits of it! Speaking of, let me dive into what I think are the 5 Benefits of working from home.

My daughter hard at work just like
her mama! A special moment I got
to enjoy working from home.

THE BENEFITS

It’s completely unrealistic to think that working from home is going to be all honky dory. In fact, there are a lot of days where you struggle to show up and do the work.

However, if you do stay consistent and you do the work and you balance work with taking care of yourself then you really start to reap the benefits! Remember though, it takes doing the work and showing up consistently to start enjoying the benefits.

Let’s talk about the 5 Benefits:

1. BEING MORE INVOLVED WITH YOUR CHILDREN/FAMILY

I have been a part of so many unbelievable and special moments that I am so thankful I didn’t have to miss.

Although I try to stick to my scheduled days, I think I am especially fortunate that I can look at my workload, see that I could put it off for a day, and spend time on a spontaneous day trip with my family!

Or when my pet or child falls ill and we need to run to the vet or hospital, I am there for them.

If there is one main reason I am working from home, it’s because I want be able to spend time with my family and watching my child grow.

2. CREATING MY OWN SCHEDULE

I’m going to be totally transparent and say that it has been a complete challenge to create a schedule that works really well for me, especially with a toddler whose own schedule keeps changing.

Being able to work when I am at my most creative and productive state has allowed me to do so much more work than I had ever been able to do when I worked in a job scheduled to the business rather than to myself and when I am the most focused and creative.

To help get myself consistent and on track I did several things:

• Created a weekly work schedule
• Planned deadlines monthly
• Planned my day the night before
• WROTE. DOWN. EVERYTHING.
• Set alarms

3. BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH LIFE’S CHALLENGES

Most bosses are less than sympathetic when life happens –at least in my experience. Such as an emergency vet visit, a sick child, or when your own mental health has taken a dip.

Working from home gives me the space to take the time to deal with those emergencies without guilt. That alone is monumental.

And I don’t lose any pay. Since I am not on an hourly wage, I don’t have to stress and literally cry over having to struggle to pay bills because of an emergency I had no control over came up.
(Unless of course I didn’t deliver on my promised work! I wouldn’t expect clients to pay me if I had to take extended time and couldn’t deliver for them.)

4. FINANCIAL CONTROL

It takes time to build up to financial freedom with a business you do from home, however, you have uncapped financial potential.
^I just felt a rush of excitement as I wrote that.

Money is my #1 stressor in life and I am working my butt of for financial freedom. I am working to not be living paycheque to paycheque. To have to choose between bills and groceries. Or panic about not having enough gas in the vehicle to make it to payday.

Having uncapped financial potential is a huge benefit to me and I am sure many others!

5. BEING IN CHARGE OF MYSELF

I personally love the feeling of being in control.

I work from home running my own business, and the fact that I control my schedule, my environment, my clients, and when I’ll grow, who my team is —it is invigorating!

Knowing that I control my day and my work puts a drive and passion in me I didn’t have before. I know I’m going to sound flighty or unreliable, but I have not kept many jobs for over three years.

And here I am, about to celebrate 3 years of Razzle! With plans looking 5 years into the future!!!!

I am so proud of myself and where I have brought my business to in 3 years. Of course, there are people found more success than myself in 3 years, but I needed my growth to be as slow as its been.

I started a business immediately after giving birth. (Long story short, I was denied maternity leave and needed money to pay bills.)

And let me say, learning to be a parent is hard.

Learning to run a business is hard.

Learning to do both at the same time?! INSANE!!

I needed time to get to where I am now. But now I am ready to move to the next level and help more and more people.

Working from home definitely has its own challenges, but to me, the reward of working from home brings me so much more joy and fulfillment. And once you get into the swing of it and find your own rhythm, I am certain you will too!

I’m a mom and a business owner. Both constantly push me and challenge me to do more and be more, and I love it! I rise to the challenges they throw at me every time –well, almost every time. I am human after all!

And I may not always work through them with grace and patience, but I push and push until I’m through it.

Do you work from home or are you considering working from home? I’d love to hear where you are at!

What would you say are the top 5 struggles and benefits of working from home?

Feel free email me about your experience by CLICKING HERE!

I hope you found this inspiring and a bit of a reality check of what working from home is really like. Until next week, I wish you success and happiness!

-Jordan

If you’ve been struggling to keep up with your brand’s social media, consider working with Razzle Marketing! We’d love to work with you one-on-one in coaching sessions OR take it off your hands completely. Learn more about our services by CLICKING HERE.