I just happen to have one of those skill sets that allows me to work in my underwear.
American cartoonist Garry Trudeau was born on this day in 1948.
I don’t work in my underwear.
I mean, not in just my underwear.
I’ll give you a minute whilst you scrub that image from your mind.
I don’t as of yet, have the privilege of working from home full-time. I’d love to. But I’m not there yet.
I still drag my appropriately and stylishly covered behind downtown four days a week. Generally one day a week I’m allowed to telework.
And, oh heck yeah, that’s a whole chapter in the book…if not a book all by itself. I’ll just leave it at that for now.
But, when the day comes that I’m working at home full time, well except for the acting and the theme-parking, I’ll need to ask myself some important questions.
Maybe you’re thinking about working at home as well, these questions might help you.
Questions you have to answer before working at home.
Are you hungry enough to search for the work? Even if you’re the best, work isn’t going to seek you out. You’ve got to work for every job, every assignment.
Do you have a financial reserve set aside until you can establish a work from home income? It might take a while for those invoices to start being paid.
Are you organized enough to manage your home office? And can you work in that environment? What about the distraction of kids or animals?
What hours are you going to work? There’s a tendency to work around the clock. While there may be projects that require that type of commitment, it’s neither healthy nor sustainable. Can you force yourself to take the downtime you need to recharge?
What will you wear to work? I mean sure, you can work in your underwear. But seriously, wouldn’t it seem more like work and like a real job if you at least got dressed for the day? Set your own dress code. But dress.
Can you multitask? Can you work on multiple projects at the same time, while answering the phone (hopefully), sending the invoices (also hopefully), and paying the bills?
What’s your fallback plan if this doesn’t work out? Can you easily return to a “regular” job in your field? How long can you hold on if business is slow?
I can answer many of those questions affirmatively, but not all. I’m working on it.
I’m also working on collecting story and article ideas. It’s not easy.
Garry Trudeau also said:
Coming up with ideas is really hard – they don’t spontaneously pop into my head while I’m cutting vegetables.
Speaking of vegetables, I need to go pack my lunch.
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