Self-Motivation When Working From Home

It is essential to be able to motivate yourself when working from home, since how successful you are depends entirely on you. At home you don't have anyone telling you what to do and in which order to do it in, as you have to create your own schedule and stick to it. You won't be reprimanded by your boss if you fail to complete a job on time, but you could find that clients abandon you and that it becomes harder to find new work. If this happens, you may discover that it is no longer possible to earn a living from home.

Working from home always seems like a good idea when you have to drag yourself into work every day, commuting for an hour or so there and back. The idea of being able to get out of bed when you want and then sitting in front of a computer in your pyjamas certainly generally seems preferable. You don't have to follow someone else's orders and then get told off when they decide you haven't completed a particular job to a satisfactory standard. You are your own boss and you can do what you want, when you want.

That is the theory, at least. The reality tends to be somewhat different, however. When you work from home, you need to be self-motivated because there are too many distractions which may cause you to lose focus. Rather than sitting down and getting on with your work, you may find yourself playing computer games or going to the kitchen every few minutes to get something to eat. With no boss to worry about or co-workers to work alongside, you are completely responsible for how much or how little work you do.

If you intend to make a living working from home you have to be self-motivated enough to seek out clients and work-from-home opportunities and to ensure you fulfil any commitments you make. You can't simply promise a client that you will complete a complex project within a given time and then fail to deliver on that promise, because there will be repercussions. You may find that your reputation suffers and that it becomes harder to find clients willing to take a risk on you. You could even find yourself being taken to court if a client feels there has been a breach of contract, which could prove costly. To really make a go of working from home you have to possess a certain degree of self-motivation, so that you can seek out new business opportunities and fulfil the obligations you have to your clients. Without the ability to motivate yourself within the home it is hard to see how you will be able to build a successful career.