The pros and cons of working at home

I work at home. I’ve done the work-at-work thing and I much prefer to work out of my home. I like to think that it gives me a home field advantage. But I also recognize that it won’t work for everyone.

There are two kinds of working at home: You can telecommute or you can be an entrepreneur. I’ve done both and here is a comprehensive list that generally encompasses the pros and cons from both of these. To help you decide if it will work for you, consider the pros and cons I learned from my experience. And to be honest, sometimes the pros are cons and the cons are pros!

• Pro: Be near your family. One of the reasons I work at home is because I get to spend more time with my wife. Not every couple can handle extended amounts of time with each other. We can and it’s great. If you can, you should!

• Con: Income hit. In many entrepreneur situations, your income may take a hit when you decide to work at home. Unless your service is in high demand, there may be a few months (or years) where money is tight.

• Pro: Save on expenses. Your income may drop, but your expenses may drop as well. No more burning expensive fuel in traffic. No more high-priced parking downtown. No more lunches out.

• Pro: No traffic. I can’t stress this pro enough! Traffic gives us road rage and ruins our day. On the way to work it can demolish our workday attitude and on the way home it can destroy our evening attitude. Your attitude will improve drastically when you don’t have to fight traffic to get anywhere!

• Pro/Con: Availability. You’ll find that you sometimes get people calling during work hours for friendly conversation. If your schedule allows it, that’s great. Mine does, so I welcome it. But not everyone’s schedule does. Just because you work at home doesn’t mean you don’t work.

• Pro: Dress code. I’ll be honest, I don’t wear at tie when I’m working at home. I don’t mind ties and I wear one when I’m at a sales meeting, but when I’m not with a client, I’m very casual!

• Pro/Con: Work to do. When working at home, your list of work to do can really meld with your list of home chores. While I’m working at my computer I’m always thinking about the lawn that should get mowed or the fence that needs to be painted. Fortunately, I’ve procrastinated my home chores long enough that I can continue to do without feeling guilty!

• Con: Distractions. When you work at work, everything is usually geared to your job. But when you work at home, it’s all mixed together. The television is a big distraction for many people who work at home.

• Pro: Scheduling. Many jobs are 9am â€" 5pm (or something similar). You’re expected to be there at 9 in the morning and leave at 5 in the afternoon. I did it for years. But at home, you work when you want. I’m more of a 10am â€" 6pm person so that works well for me. Except for the odd sales call or planning meeting, I work when I want.

• Pro/Con: Always at work. Your job is right there. You could hammer out a few emails before your favorite TV show. And if you want a nap, your bed is in the next room. And if it’s snowing outside, you don’t have to brush off the car! Believe me, working and living in the same building is a pro and a con!

Working at home was one of the best decisions of my life. For me, the pros outweigh the cons and my quality of life improved substantially. But I wouldn’t recommend it for everybody. I’ve had to carefully construct certain parameters in order to help me succeed at home, including scheduling and personal rules and goals to diminish distractions and keep my productivity at a level that pays the bills. But if you think you can do it, you should give it a try!

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