Working from home
Forget about flirting and office gossip. When there's only one person in the workforce, here's what to expect.
Home office heaven
Control
Your career is in your hands. There's no need to work your way up the ladder, because there isn't one. You are the boss. Top dog. Whatever path you want to take, it's down to you. Just don't expect the tea to get made unless you get up and switch on the kettle yourself.
Flexibility
Nine to five? Forget it. You can work whenever you want, for as little or as long as you like. Just so long as you get the job done, you can work at night if you like, and earn yourself a great big long lazy lie in. Back in the real world, the more time you spend away from your desk, the less you're likely to be earning.
Diversity
All of a sudden, your job description becomes impossible to define. Which can't be a bad thing, when you think about it. As a freelancer, every job demands a different skill. And if something crops up you really don't want to do, you are fully authorized to say so.
More time
You get up. You go to work. There is no in between. No slumming it on the bus or the train with all the other commuters. In terms of travel time, it's a huge saving. Plus you don't arrive at your desk in a state of sweaty exhaustion. Unless, of course, your love life is as flexible and rewarding as your working life
Home office hell
Discipline
Being a success at something you enjoy means never having to work again. Right? Not if sleep is your passion, and that's where most freelancers fall flat. If you're the only one who's going to notice if you're late, it's horribly tempting to hit the snooze button, and never get up again.
Cash flow
Forget about the monthly pay cheque. When it comes to being paid, freelancers come last on the list. Sure, you can state 'payment within four weeks of receipt' on your invoice, but your clients will merely consider this to be a challenge. Something to ignore. As a result, you just can't plan ahead. Financially speaking, it's either feast or famine.
Insecurity
Going freelance means going philosophical too. From the very first day you begin working from home, those confidence-crushing questions begin haunting your thoughts: 'what am I doing?', 'where am I going?', 'Can I afford to stop for Neighbours?'. There are no easy answers. Without a permanent contract, it's very hard to see beyond the next commission. Some freelancers get round this by taking on lots of small jobs and spreading the risk of redundancy. Many others have no choice, and pray their one big earner won't go pear shaped.
Isolation
Can you go without speaking to anyone for hours on end? Are you able to function without the sound of idle chatter in the background? If not, go back to being an office monkey. Because working from home means being content with your own company. Don't save it up for the window cleaner or the postman. These people are busy. They have a job to do, and so do you.
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