Disadvantages of Working from Home [Redux]
Follow me on Twitter at your own peril. A (mild) spammer started doing so, and I actually clicked a link he tweeted, which resulted in this tweet going out from me:
Just read http://bit.ly/O9p21 - Okay points, but 3rd(?) grade writing, paragraph construction. Lack of flow, tedious repetition.
If you don't believe me, go read it. EVERY paragraph follows the structure:
I started going back and forth about this with kristenmchugh22 (and, seriously, if you're on Twitter, follow her. She rocks. And she blogs slightly more frequently than I've done lately.), which eventually resulted in:
ButMadNNW: @ kristenmchugh22 I'm tempted to rewrite/edit it and post my version to my LJ. ;-)
kristenmchugh22: @ ButMadNNW I would totally do that. Just for the sake of actually getting the info out properly. ;)
I'm betting I can make it a more interesting read with, actually, just some fine-tune editing and very little rewriting. Let's see if I'm right.
Top 10 Disadvantages of Working from Home [Redux]
Working from home has many advantages, but it also has many disadvantages. If you’re considering working from home full-time, you’re first going to need to weigh the pros and cons to make the right choice for you. Following are the top 10 disadvantages of working from home.
Start-up costs. Starting a home business can cost a lot of money up front, depending on what you plan on specializing in. Take the work-at-home career of writing, for example: when starting this venture, you’re going to need to purchase writing materials, paper, a computer, Internet access, office supplies, etc. Every work from home job has its own unique start-up costs.
Being your own boss. While many people would see this as an advantage, for others it can be a huge disadvantage. Some people need to be supervised; it’s the way they’re wired. To get any work done while working from home, you have to be your own boss. You have to learn how to motivate yourself to complete what needs to be done in a timely manner. If you need someone to help or supervise you, then working from home may not be in your best interest.
Becoming lazy. Working from home gives an individual certain freedoms. Many take advantage of having immense freedom and end up becoming lazy. Yes, working in pajamas has its advantages, but if you want to get any work done, you have to get in a set frame of mind. Being able to inspire yourself to get up, take breaks, and move around a bit will help keep you from being lazy.
Distractions. The beautiful sky outside, the birds chirping away... Don't let distractions keep you from the tasks you need to accomplish in order to make a living.
Separating family and work life. This is a hard task for many people when working from home. Being able to tell your family (gently!) when they can and cannot talk with you is very important. Also, many people think that those who work out of their homes can receive calls or visitations whenever, but this is not true. Separating your work and family life can be difficult, but those boundaries must be set if you truly want to be successful.
Procrastination. Every career-oriented person suffers procrastination at least once or twice in their careers. Yet working from home can result in greater procrastination. You have to be able to keep to a work schedule and make important calls or decisions in a timely manner.
Insurance. When you work for someone else, insurance benefits are usually already added into your compensation. Having to go out and purchase your own insurance is one of the main reasons people decide not to work from home. There are excellent insurance plans available for those who work from home, but you're the one who has to search for those particular companies and plans.
Being your own bookkeeper. When you work from home, you're in charge of keeping up with your check stubs, receipts, etc. You’ll need this information when tax time comes around. While many people hire a bookkeeper, many others don’t have the privilege of doing so and therefore have to learn to be organized when recording important data.
Becoming lonely. Working from home day in and day out without seeing another human soul can be a lonely, even isolating, experience. While there are ways to remedy this disadvantage, you need to keep in mind that the majority of work-from-home time is solitary.
Pay day. Pay day can be any day. When working from home, you determine when you get paid - most of the time. For example: say a writer has written an article for a monthly magazine. If the magazine accepts the article, they will pay the writer once the article is published. Payment could come days, weeks, or even months after submission. Planning ahead and knowing how to budget your money are necessary skills for every from-home worker.
As you can see, there are many disadvantages to working from home. Sit down with this list and weigh it against a list of the advantages. This will help you determine if a work-at-home career is right for you.
=====
Okay, so I did a bit more rewriting than I expected. But, as LSA is fond of saying: "Concision. Economy of words." Saying the same thing again is not as effective as saying it once, with more coherency. And you can actually say more in fewer words.
(And just to be clear: I am not taking credit for the original writing, only for the editing I performed. Please don't sue me for plagiarism. You have full rights to the original writing. I totally agree. In fact, do you want to post my edited version? Go ahead. First one's free: if you want me to tweak any of your future writings, I'll need to see a contract. ;-) Hell, I copy edit like this for UncommonHelp.me, but Mark Tyrrell [who doesn't need such extensive changes!] still retains copyright; I'm just the editor.)
Just read http://bit.ly/O9p21 - Okay points, but 3rd(?) grade writing, paragraph construction. Lack of flow, tedious repetition.
If you don't believe me, go read it. EVERY paragraph follows the structure:
- This is my point.
- This is my argument for my point.
- Now I'm going to restate my point in the exact same words.
I started going back and forth about this with kristenmchugh22 (and, seriously, if you're on Twitter, follow her. She rocks. And she blogs slightly more frequently than I've done lately.), which eventually resulted in:
ButMadNNW: @ kristenmchugh22 I'm tempted to rewrite/edit it and post my version to my LJ. ;-)
kristenmchugh22: @ ButMadNNW I would totally do that. Just for the sake of actually getting the info out properly. ;)
I'm betting I can make it a more interesting read with, actually, just some fine-tune editing and very little rewriting. Let's see if I'm right.
Top 10 Disadvantages of Working from Home [Redux]
Working from home has many advantages, but it also has many disadvantages. If you’re considering working from home full-time, you’re first going to need to weigh the pros and cons to make the right choice for you. Following are the top 10 disadvantages of working from home.
Start-up costs. Starting a home business can cost a lot of money up front, depending on what you plan on specializing in. Take the work-at-home career of writing, for example: when starting this venture, you’re going to need to purchase writing materials, paper, a computer, Internet access, office supplies, etc. Every work from home job has its own unique start-up costs.
Being your own boss. While many people would see this as an advantage, for others it can be a huge disadvantage. Some people need to be supervised; it’s the way they’re wired. To get any work done while working from home, you have to be your own boss. You have to learn how to motivate yourself to complete what needs to be done in a timely manner. If you need someone to help or supervise you, then working from home may not be in your best interest.
Becoming lazy. Working from home gives an individual certain freedoms. Many take advantage of having immense freedom and end up becoming lazy. Yes, working in pajamas has its advantages, but if you want to get any work done, you have to get in a set frame of mind. Being able to inspire yourself to get up, take breaks, and move around a bit will help keep you from being lazy.
Distractions. The beautiful sky outside, the birds chirping away... Don't let distractions keep you from the tasks you need to accomplish in order to make a living.
Separating family and work life. This is a hard task for many people when working from home. Being able to tell your family (gently!) when they can and cannot talk with you is very important. Also, many people think that those who work out of their homes can receive calls or visitations whenever, but this is not true. Separating your work and family life can be difficult, but those boundaries must be set if you truly want to be successful.
Procrastination. Every career-oriented person suffers procrastination at least once or twice in their careers. Yet working from home can result in greater procrastination. You have to be able to keep to a work schedule and make important calls or decisions in a timely manner.
Insurance. When you work for someone else, insurance benefits are usually already added into your compensation. Having to go out and purchase your own insurance is one of the main reasons people decide not to work from home. There are excellent insurance plans available for those who work from home, but you're the one who has to search for those particular companies and plans.
Being your own bookkeeper. When you work from home, you're in charge of keeping up with your check stubs, receipts, etc. You’ll need this information when tax time comes around. While many people hire a bookkeeper, many others don’t have the privilege of doing so and therefore have to learn to be organized when recording important data.
Becoming lonely. Working from home day in and day out without seeing another human soul can be a lonely, even isolating, experience. While there are ways to remedy this disadvantage, you need to keep in mind that the majority of work-from-home time is solitary.
Pay day. Pay day can be any day. When working from home, you determine when you get paid - most of the time. For example: say a writer has written an article for a monthly magazine. If the magazine accepts the article, they will pay the writer once the article is published. Payment could come days, weeks, or even months after submission. Planning ahead and knowing how to budget your money are necessary skills for every from-home worker.
As you can see, there are many disadvantages to working from home. Sit down with this list and weigh it against a list of the advantages. This will help you determine if a work-at-home career is right for you.
=====
Okay, so I did a bit more rewriting than I expected. But, as LSA is fond of saying: "Concision. Economy of words." Saying the same thing again is not as effective as saying it once, with more coherency. And you can actually say more in fewer words.
(And just to be clear: I am not taking credit for the original writing, only for the editing I performed. Please don't sue me for plagiarism. You have full rights to the original writing. I totally agree. In fact, do you want to post my edited version? Go ahead. First one's free: if you want me to tweak any of your future writings, I'll need to see a contract. ;-) Hell, I copy edit like this for UncommonHelp.me, but Mark Tyrrell [who doesn't need such extensive changes!] still retains copyright; I'm just the editor.)