The Pros and Cons of Working for Yourself

Working for yourself isn’t all plusses. Sometimes there are huge minuses. It’s up to you to determine whether the pluses outweigh the minuses. But, it is good for you to know in advance what the pros and cons of working for yourself are so that you can be realistic about what you’re getting yourself into.

Ok, do you want the good news, or the bad news first?… Let’s go ahead and get the cons out of the way because there really is a lot to look forward to in working for yourself!

Cons:

• Work and Home Life Often Collide – Due to the lack of a fixed schedule, and no clear delineation of work versus time off, you’ll find yourself working odd hours to accommodate the needs of your family; thus feeling as if you never have a day off.
• You’ll Do a Lot of Work for Free – Much of the work you do for your business is not billable, therefore will feel like free work until you start making a profit. It can be hard to push yourself to do things that aren’t producing income right now, but you must press on anyway so that you can do what’s necessary to grow your business.
• Family Will Ask You to Do Things (since you’re “available”) – Even though you have work to do, when family members see you around, they’ll think you’re available. Sometimes it’s fun like playing table tennis with your kids, and other times it’s new chores added to the “honey do” list. The reality is when you work from home, the boundaries between work and family life are blurred.
• You’ll Get Distracted – Without supervision, even the most studious and organized individual can go off the rails due to the internet, television and stuff that is around to distract you from work. In fact, even if you rely on the internet to do your work, you’ll have to be very disciplined to avoid checking for Facebook or Twitter updates, or watching some online highlights of the game last night. It’s up to you and only you to set up and respect rules and limits to achieve success.

Now let’s see the benefits…

Pros:

• No More Living by the Clock – If you arrange your business right you can wake up naturally without an alarm forcing you to get up when your body isn’t ready. You can also go to bed when you want to as well. It’s a great freedom not to always live by the clock.
• No More Traffic Jams – One of the best perks is not having to be caught in a traffic jam during rush hour. Working from home for yourself, you won’t have to do that anymore and it will be a huge relief, most especially on bad weather days when everyone else has to navigate through undesirable conditions and impatient drivers.
• Fewer Work-Related Interruptions – Office chatter can get overwhelming at times and it can be difficult to get work done due to it. Not to mention office meetings… Be honest, did you ever really get work done due to a meeting? During the meeting you’re probably thinking about how you could be getting work done right now instead of talking about it. Or maybe you’re just daydreaming about the possibilities of working from home for yourself… Don’t tell your boss! 😉
• You Really Can Work in Your PJs – Yes you can! You can wear PJs, yoga pants, or a moo-moo; no one cares. You can even get inspired right out of the shower and work naked if you want to, not that I’m recommending it! It’s your business and your house, and you’ll decide what to wear (or what not to wear).
• A Flexible Schedule – If you have a parent-teacher meeting, or a lunch out with your spouse, you don’t have to ask permission to go. If you want to get your hair done, go for it. Whatever you want to do during the day is up to you as long as you find time to also get your work done so you can get paid. Your schedule is your own.
• You Can Eat Healthier – Going out to work often causes everyone to eat out for lunch five days a week. That can not only be expensive, but it can also be unhealthy for the people doing it… unless you have great discipline and restaurant choices available. Working from home allows you to have more choice and control on what you eat every day, and if eating healthfully is important to you, it will be easier to do when you work from home for yourself.

Working from home offers different benefits and drawbacks. It’s up to you to determine if you have the personality for it. You’ll need to rein in family and friends who want to take advantage of you, as well as yourself, to stay on track for creating a healthy and profitable home business.