(Sigh) I am so happy to have work, really, not to sound ungrateful. I work from home, I'm a freelance writer/artist, and it just gets so frustrating sometimes.
Sure there are some great benefits: setting your own hours, being in the comfort of home, not having to worry about baby-sitters, traveling, etc.
But people sometimes don't realize the drawbacks. You have deadlines and you have to be even more responsible for yourself when a boss is not hovering over you. You can get very distracted, especially when you have kids and a husband milling about when you are trying to work.
The worst is that people don't seem to respect work when it's at home. I get comments like, "Ever think about getting a real job?" or, "You're home, you can babysit for my sick kid so I don't have to pay someone, right?" My mother will come over to visit even when I tell her I am working... she lives nearby, and is bored, and I am her only child w/her only grandchildren. I'll tell her I am working but she'll say she won't bother me and she'll help me out doing stuff with the kids. Then she comes in every 20 minutes to ask me about which kitchen sponge is for the dishes and which is for dirty cleaning work, or she wants to know where that shirt is she bought my kid last year because she can't find it in the drawer. It's hard to talk to her because she's got all this I-will-not-be-a-burden-in-my-old-age pride thing going on since hitting 80, and if I insult her she'll just sit home and brood because she can't drive. I know she lives for us, I do believe being able to dote on us makes her feel useful as if it gives her a reason to live, so I hate to be too harsh with her.
I'd send them over to her house, but she's such a fanatic about mess (1 cup in the sink and "you're making a mess!" and she gets mad when the kids sit on the sofa and wrinkle the blanket she covers the plastic slip covers with) she just expects them to sit there and watch tv or play video games all day without moving while she feeds them. She will not take them out to play (lives in a condo, they can't go out alone), and I would rather them be here where there are kids outside and things to play with and do because we strictly limit tv/games.
Now because of all the other distractions today, here I sit, again, working till 4am to ensure I meet my deadline on Tuesday on a very tedious project because I didn't get anything done this afternoon because it was just chaotic here with my husband home, the kids home, my college daughter visiting and my mom coming over.
I have been doing this for years and I feel like I can probably cut my work week for 10 hours if I just could subtract all of the daily distractions... that's annoying because that means I could be making the same amount of money in a lot less time.
Okay... sorry so long, vent over, I am going back to work, I keep taking mini-breaks to come here to break up the monotony as I am on a very tedious, boring project right now and it is hard to stay awake.
I know some people are all business and manage fine, I guess I'm just too laid-back and casual to keep so disciplined and live in too small and apartment to get away from everyone and really shut them out.
Anyone else work from home have problems? I love what I do but working here makes me want to scream sometimes.
Sure there are some great benefits: setting your own hours, being in the comfort of home, not having to worry about baby-sitters, traveling, etc.
But people sometimes don't realize the drawbacks. You have deadlines and you have to be even more responsible for yourself when a boss is not hovering over you. You can get very distracted, especially when you have kids and a husband milling about when you are trying to work.
The worst is that people don't seem to respect work when it's at home. I get comments like, "Ever think about getting a real job?" or, "You're home, you can babysit for my sick kid so I don't have to pay someone, right?" My mother will come over to visit even when I tell her I am working... she lives nearby, and is bored, and I am her only child w/her only grandchildren. I'll tell her I am working but she'll say she won't bother me and she'll help me out doing stuff with the kids. Then she comes in every 20 minutes to ask me about which kitchen sponge is for the dishes and which is for dirty cleaning work, or she wants to know where that shirt is she bought my kid last year because she can't find it in the drawer. It's hard to talk to her because she's got all this I-will-not-be-a-burden-in-my-old-age pride thing going on since hitting 80, and if I insult her she'll just sit home and brood because she can't drive. I know she lives for us, I do believe being able to dote on us makes her feel useful as if it gives her a reason to live, so I hate to be too harsh with her.
I'd send them over to her house, but she's such a fanatic about mess (1 cup in the sink and "you're making a mess!" and she gets mad when the kids sit on the sofa and wrinkle the blanket she covers the plastic slip covers with) she just expects them to sit there and watch tv or play video games all day without moving while she feeds them. She will not take them out to play (lives in a condo, they can't go out alone), and I would rather them be here where there are kids outside and things to play with and do because we strictly limit tv/games.
Now because of all the other distractions today, here I sit, again, working till 4am to ensure I meet my deadline on Tuesday on a very tedious project because I didn't get anything done this afternoon because it was just chaotic here with my husband home, the kids home, my college daughter visiting and my mom coming over.
I have been doing this for years and I feel like I can probably cut my work week for 10 hours if I just could subtract all of the daily distractions... that's annoying because that means I could be making the same amount of money in a lot less time.
Okay... sorry so long, vent over, I am going back to work, I keep taking mini-breaks to come here to break up the monotony as I am on a very tedious, boring project right now and it is hard to stay awake.
I know some people are all business and manage fine, I guess I'm just too laid-back and casual to keep so disciplined and live in too small and apartment to get away from everyone and really shut them out.
Anyone else work from home have problems? I love what I do but working here makes me want to scream sometimes.