Working from home has it’s pros and cons

Working from home definitely has it’s pros and cons, but I consider myself very fortunate and blessed to have the opportunity to do so. I’ve been working from home full time now for 11 years.

I have a home based hair salon and I am a Writer/ Blogger with a family. Balancing the work and the home life is sometimes challenging but it is worth it to me.

I’m thankful that I have this time to create, and have the flexibility needed to have my own schedule to write when I need to write. It gives me the freedom to have my own process to get in my flow, to have writers rituals that I do uninterrupted.

It’s something that I always dreamed of living and it came true. I actually saw myself in this position working from home being successful and balancing family life. I have the freedom and peace, calm and time. My children are raised and grown. I have the flexibility to create, dream, imagine, write, and it’s my time and it’s mostly uninterrupted.

There are also challenges that come into play like living in the same place that you work so there could be days when you don’t leave the house or see anyone, which can be good and bad. Sometimes I miss dressing up in career clothes everyday and having to put thought into my outfits as when I worked in the salon. the camaraderie of my co-workers was fun a lot of the times too.

Honestly I don’t miss it that much, not as much as I love being free to work from home. I love the work that I’m doing and it’s very rewarding.

Some Challenges of Working From Home

• Everyone in your life thinks that you don’t really do anything and that you’re available at all times for anything that they want you to do.
• To some it looks like you aren’t doing anything even though you are doing a great deal.
• Challenging but necessary are setting up work schedules. Healthy boundaries are also needed so you can get work done.

Work / Life Balance

So how do you balance work/life at home? Here are my top things that I do.

Keep An Eye On The Clock

Just because you work from home doesn’t mean time is endless. Keep an eye on the clock so time doesn’t slip away from you. I used this trick as a Hair stylist so I wouldn’t get lost in my work, and lost while engaged in conversation with my client. I learned to watch the clock so I would give myself time within reason to create and perform the task that I needed to within a reasonable time. As a hairstylist I had to keep a tight schedule as to not run behind and cause my whole day to get backed up.

As a writer/blogger I feel this same thing has helped me. By setting a timer it forces me to get tasks done in a set time because there’s a lot to do as a writer/blogger.

There’s distractions when you work from home because of the many things to do around the house. Setting a timer makes you feel more accomplished and organized. It gives you more freedom to have fun or anything else that you want to do.

Get Out Of The House

Break it up, go for a ride, a walk, run some errands and get lost in some time that you set aside. Get away from your work. Change the scenery, change the focus. You can come back to it with a new set of eyes, refreshed eyes.

Find out what works for you be it an hour or two, everyday or every other day.

Going out in nature really helps me, it’s very grounding and peaceful, calming and rejuvenating. I live around a lot of water and trees and wildlife in the woods it’s very peaceful here. Even if you don’t live near nature, just getting outside is helpful to your mind.

Have Self Care Time

As women we do so much for others, we are natural caretakers. We have to take care of ourselves whatever that looks like for you.

Some things that work well for me are…

• Meditation and prayer
• Being still and in the moment
• Deep breathing
• Yoga, exercise
• Walking my dogs
• Free writing in my journal
• Creating, drawing, painting
• Thinking, daydreaming, writing lists, setting new goals
• Talking to a friend, going to a movie, shopping, out to lunch
• Giving myself or getting beauty treatments
• Reading

Whatever it looks like for you is fine.The point is you have to take care of you.

Healthy Boundaries Need To Be Setup Right Away

Ask family and friends to understand that you are working and teach them to respect it.

Be Happy With Your Progress While In Pursuit Of Your Goals

Personally I’m glad that I didn’t always work from home. In my situation and with my first career as a hairstylist it wouldn’t have worked. I had to work in the salon and learn from my peers that were further along than me or I wouldn’t have progressed. But with my second career choice as a writer/Blogger it’s a very solitary career and although I have bloggers and writers in different groups online that I belong to, I work independently, and it is ultimately up to me to produce.

As a Writer/Blogger you need the solitude of working by yourself. It doesn’t require you to work from home but if you have the luxury of working from home with your own schedule that’s just icing on the cake.

So wherever you are in your career journey, and if you’re wondering if you can handle working from home and if you will enjoy it, It’s what you make it. Where you are in your life has a lot to do with it and balancing work/life is key and can be a challenge. Try it and see for yourself it has it’s pros and cons, but for me it’s worth it.

Love and Light,

If you haven't done so already please sign up for our newsletter. Also, please feel free to leave a comment, or email me directly at maria@mariasibilla.com