Working from home has its benefits. As a writer who works from my own room, I do not miss the commute, traffic, or dealing with people. I will say that it does get lonely, and there are times when I wish I had an adult around, but mostly, it’s rather enjoyable. I’ve often thought about co-working spaces when I travel to visit my daughter, but I’ve never taken the plunge. Maybe next time I can check it out and report back.
It did get me thinking about how to tell when it is time to stop working from home. Here’s what I came up with:
Are you ready to leave the nest?
1. You don’t have an office space that can be dedicated to work. Maybe the room you used is now the nursery or you had a friend move in.
2. You can’t set boundaries. During the summer, when you have kids home, if you’re unable to get anything done because they won’t respect your time, it might be time to find a co-working space.
3. If you’re spending more time binging on Netflix than producing an income, you don’t need to be working at home. One of the most important things when working from home is self-motivation.
4. You’ve got staff coming to your home. Do you really want to be responsible for accidents or injuries on the job while they’re in your home? It could get very difficult with your home owners insurance and workman’s comp.
5. If you’re getting too much traffic for your business at home, you might want to invest in an office. You will need to consider the regulations of your community to know whether you should consider an office. Success is a good reason to move.
Everyone is different, so you just have to look at your own productivity and goals in knowing whether you should get an off-site office or work from home.
I don’t think there’s any shame in not being able to do it. Working from home is not for everyone. I’m pretty fortunate to be fairly disciplined and get the work done. I live with my adult daughter and her husband, and they’re good about letting me work. It is easy to get distracted, but I enjoy working from home. Maybe someday, I will get an office. Right now, I enjoy that I don’t have to wear shoes when I work.
Dawn Brotherton is a Sr. Staff Writer at The American Genius with an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Central Oklahoma. She is an experienced business writer with over 10 years of experience in SEO and content creation. Since 2017, she has earned $60K+ in grant writing for a local community center, which assists disadvantaged adults in the area.
