By Guest contributor

There are a few issues when working from home that you may face. Not being in an office environment that you may be used to means there is often a lack of facilities. But even when running your own business, finding a good balance and managing time is just as crucial.

Technology and Logistics

Working for an employer usually means everything you need is right there, ready for you. You don’t have to deal with network issues, printer toner replacements, and receiving goods. Your employer also has staff that deal with payments. But running your own business from home, you need a way to process payments using the credit card on file for your growing customer list. And even finding a reliable payment processor willing to help can be a bit of a challenge.

Issues when Working From Home Includes the Balance

The work-life balance is a driving force in modern mental health circles, and with good reason. Working is good and helps with mental health, not least because it’s the way you earn to provide. But too much work means your personal life can suffer, which isn’t great when you have children or relationship responsibilities. And when you are at home all the time, the line between work and home can begin to blur as you spend more time at the home office.

Not Being as Social

Whether you have genuine friends at work or not is another subject entirely. But what is true is that even the social aspect of checking in to an office or seeing coworkers on a daily basis is a welcome reprieve from home life. In many cases, colleagues have fun, confide in each other, and have each others’ backs while at work. You can really miss this when you are at home working all day. You can call or video chat with people as long as it’s not a distraction.

The Many, Many Distractions

Speaking of distractions, these are among the major pitfalls of working or running a business from home. You can remove most of them, and some of the worst to look out for are as follows:

• You want to do housework and chores when you should be focusing on your job.
• Checking social media or browsing shopping websites in between work tasks.
• Thinking about getting the stuff ready for the kids when they get home.
• Rushing through work to make time for the things you enjoy doing at home.
• Having the TV on in the background so you just end up watching it.

Distractions are everywhere at home, and your boss isn’t there. As your own boss, you need to be strong. The best way to avoid this is to create a home office in a separate room from these.

Managing Your Time Effectively

Time management is a skill that we learn over time. But it is harder when you are wholly responsible for it without a boss, supervisor, or HR helping you along. Going to a job or an office, you are presented with a rigid structure for how you are meant to work, and it’s easier to stick to this when employed. As your own boss, you need to come up with a solid plan that outlines what you need to do each day. This also includes scheduling all-important breaks.

Motivation Issues When Working From Home

Staying motivated can be hard at the best of times. There are many reasons for low motivation, and some include serious mental health issues. But being at an office helps because you are around others who can guide you, and you can feed off the surrounding energy. Being alone at the home office, you only have yourself. So, you need to harness the power of self-motivation by doing tasks that excite you, thinking critically about a task, and taking ownership of a project.

Lack of Supervision

Working from home or running your own business means you aren’t getting the same amount of supervision as you would at an office or job site. And when the cats are away, the mice will play. Supervising yourself means ensuring you make plans and stick to them, manage your time well, and essentially work as if you are at the office. Of course, there are some perks, like getting up a bit later. But even dressing in your typical work clothing can help keep you in the right mindset.

Summary

Just getting the technology to work right causes many issues when working from home. Of course, there are also many distractions you need to overcome by creating an office area. And being responsible for yourself is a major point because you aren’t under the same supervision.