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So you work from home?  Me too!  My decision to work from home was a relatively easy one as I used to live miles from anywhere and getting a local job wasn’t an option 6 years ago.

But you’re probably not in that situation and quit Civvy Street for a bucket full of reasons.  The commute, the lack of respect in the office, low wages or no job perks…  Or maybe you saw a gap in the market and thought ‘Oh, yes, I can fill that gap.’

There are many, many reasons why we work from home or start a home based business.  Even if it makes financial sense, there are things that you will miss day to day that can start you thinking whether working from home was the right thing for you.  Believe me, I’ve been there.

Being alone in the house can unnerve us.  Self discipline can evade us.  Talking to the cat all day only makes you feel even more batty and alone!  Staying in your pyjamas is easy and watching day time TV is worringly fun.  Motivating oneself to get on with work and earn some money can be tricky.  Being stuck with a problem is frustrating because who do you turn to?

I’ve written about working from home and not going mad before. My tips do work, well at least for me!

We all need social interaction, however much of a ‘Bah Humbug’ we may be!  Human beings are by nature gregarious and move in packs.  If you can’t get out of the office and socialise or go to business networking meetings, get on line.  There are going to be countless business forums for your industry on the internet and sites such as Linked In and Ecademy are great sources of inspiration.

Social network sites like Facebook can be a good way of ‘meeting’ people and are a great outlet for venting frustrations as well as having those ‘water cooler’ moments that you may miss from being in an office with other people.  I’m sure you will find others with similar frustrations as well as being able to build up a support network.

Being alone can work to your advantage.  It’s an opportunity to contact clients and potential customers, to call them or email them to say hello.  People like being remembered and not just as a potential sale.

Join a local Chamber of Commerce or another similar group in you area.  It’s a great way of developing business contacts as well as making new friends.  Set aside time to do something you like;  after all, you’re no longer commuting so there’s at least 2 hours a day you can play with!  And remember to reward yourself after a great day’s work.

About the Author:
Emma Crabtree is the owner and sole-operator of Red Box Virtual Office, an off-site business support service.  Red Box Virtual Office can enable you to free yourself from the day to day admin of your business so that you can focus on what you enjoy and what makes you money.  Find out how working with a Virtual Assistant can help your business.