3 Lessons To Surviving While Working From Home

You have to admit, there is a TON of crap out there on the internet about working from home. Everyone is an expert or feels like they know how to do it. I can guarantee that 98% of what you read is a waste of your time, your money, and any brain cells that you want to sacrifice by inputting their garbage.

I've been working from home for 8 years in the home business industry. I quit my job in August 2004 to begin that venture full time. On top of that, I have been self-employed for about 20 years. If you're going to learn a few lessons, learn them from someone who has not only been there, but has been doing it for several years now.

You don't make it 5 years full time from home without a few bumps in the road, some great ups, and some pretty severe downs. I believe I can sum up what I have learned in 3 quick lessons.

Lesson 1 - Stay Focused

Once I started working from home full time, there was a whole other world that opened up to me. I began to realize that there were literally hundreds and hundreds of ways to make money from home, and I also began to realize that there were people making millions of dollars in several different industries.

If you start listening to every opportunity or everyone saying "Do this" or "Do that" you will quickly find yourself looking through the Want Ads for another job. I'm not kidding. Here is a quote I have to repeat to myself all the time:

A man who chases two rabbits will catch none.

If you start trying to do this to make a few extra bucks, and then do that to make a few more bucks, pretty soon, your primary source of income that you worked so hard for in order to retire from your job will suffer.

You must focus on what got you here. Diversification and multiple streams of income is a myth for one person to tackle. Put all your eggs in one basket and watch your business explode. Diversify and lose focus, and you'll have a couple eggs in a couple baskets, and looking for a job.

Here's my advice - unsubscribe from all of those emails you receive about this chance to make money and that chance.

Stay focused or you risk losing it all.

Lesson 2 - Schedule Your Time

You have no idea home many times your phone is going to ring with people thinking, "I just need to talk for a second" or "He works from home so he shouldn't be busy" or "He works from home so he can work any time he wants."

This affects my wife more than me, but it is the interuptions to your schedule and routine that kill momentum in your business.

If you don't schedule time without devices that interupt, such as email, phones, facebook, twitter, etc. you are going to find that these interuptions not only steal your time, but steal your income.

Failure to schedule your work time is a HUGE mistake. But, schedule time for email, facebook, phone calling, etc too... or you can lose credibility with your team, customers, or whomever.

If you're like me, I work in short spurts. But, I know my routine and refuse to answer phones and email during certain times... I don't care how urgent someone thinks it is.

Lesson 3 - Have Some Feakin' Fun!

Some of the most boring, mono-tone, and crotchety people I know are people who have forgotten why they quit their jobs and are working from home to begin with.

I've been there. I've found myself working 60 - 80 hours per week, till 2 or 3 am, thinking I am being productive. The reality is just the opposite.

If you lose your life, or your lively-hood, you will lose your purpose and your drive, and sooner or later you'll lose it all... back to work at a job.

Go fishing. Go to the movies while everyone else is at work. Go to your kid's field trip. Take your wife on a date at 10 am. Go mow the grass. Go for a swim. Go for a drive. Go buy yourself some new clothes. Go hang out at Barnes and Noble. Go to the afternoon baseball game. Go golfing. Go help out at your church. Go play games on your Wii. Whatever, but do something besides work.

I don't know what you need to do to find fun, fulfillment, or satisfaction, but take some time away from your work and go do it. That is what makes people come up to you and say, "You're so lucky. I wish I could work from home."

Don't give them a reason to say, "He's a bore. I'm glad I don't do what he does."