A growing number of people are working at home these days, whether working remotely as employees or running their own home businesses. There are plenty of advantages to this type of work, such as eliminating the daily commute and having a flexible schedule. However, there are also many hidden stumbling blocks that can cause you to lose focus or your business efforts to fail.

Working at home usually means being surrounded by potential distractions such as crying children, barking dogs, television, household chores, and knocks at the door. The lack of constant supervision and interaction can also make it easy to procrastinate important tasks and forget appointments.

When you are self-employed or working remotely, there is nobody but yourself to keep you on task and energized. It’s all too easy to get carried away into web surfing, social media conversations, playing online games, taking a nap, snacking, or other activities that take you away from the tasks at hand. This is especially true when your task is one you don’t particularly relish.

Here are some tips that may help you stay focused and get the work done that brings in the income you need.

First, working at home is still work. To be successful, you need to work just as hard if not harder than if you were at a corporate office. This takes self-control and discipline. Treat your home job just as if it were regular employment. Set a schedule and put in the hours needed to make your business succeed. Plan out your day and your week, set goals, and achieve them.

Second, be mindful of what you consume. Many people who work at home find themselves gaining weight. It’s all too easy to run to the refrigerator for a quick bite and all too tempting to stock your home office with a bunch of unhealthy snack foods. Putting on weight may cause your energy to decline and your self-confidence to diminish. Give yourself an hour lunch break, and cook a healthy meal.

Third, nearly all businesses experience economic ups and downs. It is extremely important to put some money in savings during good times so that you can get through the bad times. If you’re working remotely for someone else, there’s always a chance you could be laid off, and remote employees are especially vulnerable. If you’re self-employed, don’t forget to save money for taxes. It’s nice to get a full paycheck without withholdings, but you may  have a nasty shock when income tax time comes around if you haven’t stashed away enough to pay the bill.

Fourth, when the inevitable economic troughs occur, it is very common for home-based workers to become discouraged or fall into depression. You may even be tempted to give up. Be prepared for these hard times and recognize that feeling sorry for yourself won’t help anything. Think of the old saying, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Now is the time for you to work harder than ever and innovate and think positively. Believe that things will get better, work hard, and they will!

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