Benefits of Working From Home Far Outweigh Negatives

It may be time to discover the benefits of working from home. Whether such a move has been forced on you by the bad economy, or it’s something you’ve always dreamed about, there are definite pluses to being your own boss and working out of your home. If this is a situation that came about because of a job loss, it may be difficult to be enthusiastic about the prospect of earning your own way. After all, you are used to having regular tasks laid out for you, specific goals set by your superiors, or people working below you that used to do all the grunt work.

This is an exciting time, and there is no time to sit around feeling sorry for yourself with a woe-is-me attitude. Think about it. This is perhaps the best time in history to be able to make a good living working from home thanks to the internet and the personal computer. Embrace your independence and start thinking about all the positive aspects of working for yourself. If you can’t think of any, here’s some to ponder:

1. You’ll have more free time. Even if that scares you, and it might scare more than a few of you out there, think of this as a good thing. Free time is not a dirty word. Here’s why. People who work from home tend to get more done in a shorter amount of time than those who go to the office. For one thing, if you have kids coming home from school at 3 p.m. and you know you have a limited time, and the time you have is well spent. Studies have shown that, contrary to popular belief, those who work from home are more productive in a shorter period of time.

2. You work for yourself. That means no boss, no corporation, no one looking over your shoulder. Everything you produce is thanks to your hard work. It cannot be underestimated the feeling this can give the individual who has never before felt this surge of independence. Having no one to answer to can be heady stuff for the right person. But you have to know whether or not you are the type of worker who can work independently. If you need guidance, if you need someone motivating you to get the work done, perhaps you aren’t cut out to be your own boss.

3. You’ll have more freedom. You can work when it fits your schedule, not someone’s nine-to-five schedule. Working at home is ideal for parents because it allows them to participate more in their children’s lives. Even if it means bringing that laptop with your to their two-hour long gymnastics practice, at least you are there. Working at home allows you to truly free up your weekends because now you can get errands done during the day. Remember, you’re getting more done in less time so you have the time for those errands.

4. You’ll benefit at tax time. Having a home office can save you thousands at tax time and who doesn’t appreciate that extra benefit. You can write off all sorts of things as long as they are job-related, including a portion of your utilities, and capital expenses related to your office, such as equipment and office furnishings.

Take this time to create something lasting and exciting and when the dust settles from this recession, you can say you survived on your own.