United States and It's Fabulous 50

There are a lot of people who will tell you that working from home is not the utopian situation most people think it to be. And that’s true enough. But being self employed (as opposed to telecommuting) and working from a home office has its advantages. What is important is to recognize them for what they are and then maximize them.

First of all is the time saved on the daily commute to office. Even with a conservative estimate of one hour of travel each way, that’s two hours a day you are gaining for yourself. And since you are you own boss, you can use it how you want. Just be careful not to let the time slip through your hands. One good idea is to designate some daily tasks that you MUST complete in the one extra hour of the morning. Depending on your work load and how much you want to take on, there’s nothing wrong in using some of the time saved on yourself to relax and being able to function better the rest of the day.

Saving on commuting also means saving on transportation costs.  Depending on your other transport needs, you may even be able to do without a car. Either way, you can save hundreds of dollars every month.  Work out the amount of your savings on transport and make sure that at least half of it is actually saved in the bank. As in the time you save, you can spend part of the money on yourself. After all, it’s your money and whom are you working for anyway?

One of the biggest problems of going out to work everyday is that you soon get tired of eating the food you carry from home and start eating out. That’s not just expensive but also not so good for your health. Now you’re working from home, not only is the temptation to eat out removed, but perhaps you could use some of the time you are saving on commuting to make nice healthy lunches for yourself? Another way you save by working from home is the less you are out around town, the less temptation there is to be lured by an attractive display window into buying things you don’t really need.

Obviously when you are self employed, all the profits of your work come to you. With the direct relation between the effort and the income, you will be motivated to be as productive as you can be and hopefully, end up making a lot of money for yourself.

A home office means that you won’t be wasting time on water cooler gossip and all the other negatives of the formal office environment. Not only does this save you time, you won’t get distracted by the non essentials involving other people and will be able to devote all your energies into making your business a success.

And finally, there is one huge advantage of working from home that cannot be measured in time or money. And that’s being able to devote more time to your family. Of course, family should not distract you from your work, but being self employed means that you have the freedom to schedule your work to ensure family priorities are not ignored.

Sure being self employed and working from home can be very tough, demanding and at times very stressful .But if you appreciate the advantages you will have for what they are and not take them for granted, you will find that working from home can be extremely fulfilling.