{"id":5,"date":"2013-02-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-02-18T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/tili\/how-to-solve-the-top-pitfalls-of-working-from-home\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T01:09:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T01:09:57","slug":"how-to-solve-the-top-pitfalls-of-working-from-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/tili\/how-to-solve-the-top-pitfalls-of-working-from-home\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Solve the Top Pitfalls of Working From Home"},"content":{"rendered":"
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How to Solve the Top Pitfalls of Working From Home<\/h2>\n
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Nellie Akalp19 hours ago<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
This post\u00a0originally appeared on the\u00a0American Express OPEN Forum, where\u00a0Mashable<\/em>\u00a0regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.<\/em>The number of Americans working from home has\u00a0jumped\u00a041% since 1999. As technology continues to evolve (enabling new access on mobile, social and collaboration), we can expect more growth in working from home.While the work-from-home lifestyle brings significant perks, it\u2019s not without challenges. You may not deal with the daily commute or rush-hour traffic, but there\u2019s a new set of struggles that are unique to the home office. The following is a breakdown of the top four pitfalls associated with working from home and how to overcome them.<\/section>\n
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1. You Can\u2019t Stay Focused<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s not easy to stay focused in the face of countless distractions, from the television to the dirty dishes waiting in the kitchen. And when you\u2019re brand new to working at home, the first danger is that it\u2019s hard to feel like you\u2019re working, simply because you don\u2019t associate your home environment with being at work.<\/p>\n

Solution:<\/strong>\u00a0Some people are expert multi-taskers, gracefully alternating between work and household tasks or other distractions throughout the day. However, if you find your work productivity is suffering, you\u2019ll need to come up with a more formal structure for your day. After all, you wouldn\u2019t iron your clothes during the day if you were back at the office.<\/p>\n

In an ideal case, you should create a dedicated area as your office (preferably with a door so you can shut out unwanted distractions). At the very least, carve out a corner of a room just for work, so going there signals your brain that it\u2019s time to get serious. If you find yourself stuck from time to time, try changing your environment by working at the caf\u00e9 for an hour or taking a short walk outside. A change in scenery can bring you new focus.<\/p>\n

2. You Lose Boundaries<\/h2>\n

When you\u2019re working at a traditional office job, everyone seems to understand your work schedule. You don\u2019t get many personal calls during the day. You\u2019re not expected to handle all the daily errands. However, all those boundaries go out the window when you\u2019re working from home.<\/p>\n

Solution:<\/strong>\u00a0This doesn\u2019t mean you shouldn\u2019t take advantage of the flexibility that comes with working from home. But you should think about how easy it is to have time ripped from your workday. Just because you work from home<\/a> doesn\u2019t mean your job is any less real than your office counterparts. The key here is to respect your own time and your schedule \u2014 because no one else will respect your boundaries if you don\u2019t respect them first.<\/p>\n

3. You Work Too Much<\/h2>\n

What\u2019s the stereotype of working from home? Sleeping in, working in pajamas and easy days. However, the reality is usually far from that. People who work from home often work longer days simply because there\u2019s no separation between work and home. When you\u2019re working from home, you don\u2019t pack up your computer; you don\u2019t drive away from the office. Without a natural stopping point, the day gets longer and it\u2019s harder to put aside work.<\/p>\n

Solution:<\/strong>\u00a0With most jobs, there\u2019s always going to be more work to do. This means you need to self-regulate and be disciplined about setting a boundary between your work and personal life. This doesn\u2019t have to be every night. However, if you\u2019re serious about working from home for the long haul, you\u2019ve got to make the lifestyle sustainable. And that means you\u2019ll need time away from the computer and stress of work.<\/p>\n

4. You Feel Isolated<\/h2>\n

The solitude of working from home means fewer distractions and pesky office politics, but the physical separation from colleagues brings an inevitable sense of isolation. Everyone needs social interaction (albeit at varying levels) and working remotely limits one\u2019s opportunities to connect with others. Many people don\u2019t realize just how much they miss the day-to-day social interaction of the office until it\u2019s gone.<\/p>\n

Solution:<\/strong>\u00a0When you\u2019re working from home, you\u2019ll need to manufacture those social interactions. For example:<\/p>\n

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  • Make a point to schedule lunch or breakfast get-togethers<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Use social networks such as Facebook or Twitter as your virtual \u201cwater cooler\u201d during the day<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • When possible, use real-time communications like phone calls, Skype or chat instead of email<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Get involved with local networking groups or meetups<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Spend some time working in shared office spaces. Websites including\u00a0LiquidSpace,\u00a0ShareDesk,\u00a0Deskwanted\u00a0and\u00a0WorkSnug\u00a0can help you find a co-working space in major cities, and the shared office trend is catching on in smaller towns as well.<\/strong><\/li>\n
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    Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n

    This is an exciting time as technology is giving people more freedom to carve out their own workstyles and career paths. Don\u2019t let these pitfalls deter you. If you want to venture out on your own as an independent worker or just telecommute from home a few days a week, go for it. Just be mindful that there are unique challenges associated with working from home, ones you probably never would have thought about while in the office.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • YOUR THOUGHTS \u00a0?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    What are some of the things you do to make the work-from-home lifestyle work for you?<\/span><\/h2>\n
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    Let us know in the comments.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    Otilia Capraru<\/p>\n

    www.workwithotilia.com<\/p>\n

    otilia@workwithotilia.com<\/p>\n

    www.facebook.com\/otillia.capraru<\/p>\n

    www.twitter.com\/otilia777<\/p>\n

    P.S. \u00a0Do you work from home?<\/h2>\n

    Would you like to Work From Home?<\/h2>\n

    Lock arms with me here & let\u2019s\u00a0make\u00a0 2013 the most prosperous year\u00a0of your entire life<\/p>\n

    Here\u2019s your\u00a0Link To JOIN!<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    How to Solve the Top Pitfalls of Working From Home Nellie Akalp19 hours ago This post\u00a0originally appeared on the\u00a0American Express OPEN Forum, where\u00a0Mashable\u00a0regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.The number of Americans working from home has\u00a0jumped\u00a041% since 1999. As technology continues to evolve (enabling new access on mobile, social and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1669,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,4,5,17,18,19,8,20],"tags":[11,21,22,23,24],"class_list":["post-5","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-backlinks","category-blogging","category-business","category-financial-freedom","category-health","category-lead-generation","category-marketing-strategies","tag-blogging","tag-cant-stay-focused","tag-make-money-online","tag-vision-2013","tag-working-from-home"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/tili\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/tili\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/tili\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/tili\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1669"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/tili\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/tili\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/tili\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5\/revisions\/52"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/tili\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/tili\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/tili\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}