Working From Home Is a Lifestyle Choice, Not a Career Choice

** In collaboration** 

Plenty of people know about working from home and the advantages it gives. They know that if they work from home, they’re able to look after their kids, save on commuting costs and also get stuff done in their pyjamas. At least, that’s the sort of idea that most people have when they think of people that work from home. Sadly, that’s simply not the case and there are many other factors to keep in consideration when working from home.
One of the biggest misconceptions people seem to have with working from home is that they assume it’s just a career choice. Unfortunately, they don’t realize that your home is your life and that if you start to work in the very same place you call home, you need to think of it more as a lifestyle choice than a career move.

Working from home leads to distractions
It should come as no surprise at working from home introduces distractions. This is one of the biggest reasons why it’s important to consider it a lifestyle change and not a career change. You’re not simply moving to a different office–you’re using your home as your office.
This means you’re going to need to introduce areas that are off-limits to other family members during your work hours and also consider that working at home can mean you’re prone to get distracted by phone calls. In fact, other people might even consider that, since you’re working from home, they can just come in and distract you whenever.
It’s vital that you make it clear to others that your home becomes your workplace and as such, you need to have your own space and time to get your work done.
Easing yourself into the work-at-home lifestyle
There are plenty of ways to ease yourself into this new lifestyle, so here are a couple of our top tips to follow if you want to quickly fit into the work-at-home mentality.

• You can get plenty of helpful advice from lifestyle blogs like Unhumid that focus on home comfort. This can help you transform your home into a comfortable workplace that helps with your productivity.
• Designate a working area in your home. The more secluded and away from the rest of the home it is, the better. Consider garden rooms, a room in the loft or even a separate study.
• Don’t try to multitask too many things at once. The last thing you want is to end up trying to watch TV or cook food for your kids while you work.
• Set regular work times so that you can easily separate work and leisure time. This also makes it easy for others (such as friends and family members) to know when you’ll be free.
• Don’t forget to stretch and take breaks. Working from home can make it difficult to balance your life, so urge yourself to take some time off for lunch and go for a stretch or even a walk.

Working from home can take its toll on you and it’s vital that you consider it a lifestyle change, not just a career change. You need to find ways to make it work together with your lifestyle so that it doesn’t hinder you or distract you from your work.