7 Challenges To Working From Home, How To Overcome

John Stevenot
Jul 27, 2017 · 7 min read

So, you’re thinking about what it takes to work from home. Whether you adding a second (or third) job to your list of responsibilities, forced to begin telecommuting for your current job, or completely starting over to regain control over your life, working from home has some basic challenges that need to be addressed.

Working from home does hav its benefits:

  • No commute
  • Setting your own schedule
  • Working where you want to
  • Setting up the perfect atmosphere
    …and more.

But, working from home has its challenges. The point of this article is to address some of those big challenges so that you aren’t overwhelmed as you find your way. There are two major categories that we need to cover: legal and personal. The first three items on this list pertain to the legal side of things, the last four pertain to the personal challenges that come about when working from home.

One, is it even legal?

Make sure it’s legal. As strange as it may seem, your home office may actually be breaking the law depending on your zoning rules.

According to Barbara Weltman, a tax and business attorney and author of J.K. Lasser’s Small Business Taxes and president of Big Ideas for Small Business, “There may be zoning restrictions imposed by your city or your homeowner’s association. If you’ll have lots of clients coming to your home, it may present a problem. So check with your municipality or homeowner’s association whether it’s permissible.”

This issue may come about if you are manufacturing something in your home and/or clients are coming to your home to conduct business. Otherwise, there’s little you will need to worry about. Either way, take some time to understand what kind of business you can conduct in your zoned area.

Two, you may need insurance.

If you are starting your own business, don’t make the mistake of assuming that your business will be covered under your homeowner’s insurance or renter’s policy. Barbara Weltman has something to say about this, too, “It [your homeowner’s insurance or renter’s policy] may have an exclusion for business guests or limitations on your business property. For example, if you store inventory in your home, your policy may not cover it.”

Again, don’t fret. A simple call to your insurance agency may solve this problem. Oftentimes, a simple rider can be added your your coverage that will adequately cover your business. The new policy will cost more, that’s just a fact of life. But, that new cost will vary depending on what type of business you will be operating out of your home.

Barbara Weltman says, “If you only have a business visitor occasionally, an adjustment to your homeowner’s policy may be suitable. But if you’re having people in and out every day or lots of inventory, an additional rider may not provide a dollar amount sufficient to cover that and you’d probably want a separate business policy.”

Three, taxes…damn taxes.

If you aren’t working as an employee for an established business, we need to make sure that you are handling your tax bill. Depending on whether you are setting yourself up to be a freelancer or contractor, you need to make sure that you are paying all sides of the employment tax. Please, save yourself some trouble and find a competent accountant or tax expert to make sure that you are paying your share of taxes. With that being said, make sure that your accountant knows that you are working from home. They can help you apply deductions to your tax bill by writing off things such as your home office and other expenses incurred whilst operating from your home.

According to Barbara Weltman, to claim a home office, “You have to use the space regularly and exclusively for business and the office has to be where you earn your money or, if you’re earning your money out in the field as, say, an interior designer at your client’s location, then you use your home office for substantial administrative duties, such as keeping your books and records, ordering supplies, setting up appointments and storing fabric samples.”

The Internal Revenue Service offers two ways to claim a home office: The regular method involves figuring out what percentage of your home is used for business and then apportioning deductible expenses accordingly. Alternatively, you can use the simplified method by claiming $5 per square foot for the business use of your home, up to 300 square feet.

Weltman says you should consult a tax professional, “Many people who start home businesses are suddenly self-employed after being W-2 employees their whole lives. They don’t necessarily think about putting aside money to pay their quarterly estimated taxes, because they’re so used to having an employer withhold money. That’s a big trap for a lot of people starting out.”

Four, get comfy.

After you have figured out all the legal pieces of your work from home situation, we need to look at your atmosphere. Our goal is to have a well-equipped area with little-to-no distractions.

Working from home can be difficult for some because of constant nagging from distractions. For example, your dogs may be whining, the laundry may need to be switched, or you have a little one who wants your attention. These are all distractions that keep you from getting your work done in a timely and effective manner. If at all possible, it would behoove you to set up an office that is separate [via closing a door or a shade] from the rest of your living situation.

After separating yourself from your home life, you need to be able to make sure that your work space is conducive to your work demands. It’s imperative to ask and answer the following questions:

  • Do I need to move around?
  • Do I need certain equipment?
  • Do I need to keep snacks in my office?
  • Do I need noise canceling headphones?
  • Should I use a traditional desk/chair or something more modern?
    …and more.

Essentially, if you were going to be hyper productive, what would you need around you to remove all distractions (leaving the room to get a printed document is a distraction)? And, do you have everything you need to answer any question you may have or complete any task that may come?

Helene Liatsos, founder of Home Office Management Experts in Los Angeles believes, “Not everybody has the luxury of a separate home office where you can close the door, but you can define your space with a filing cabinet, plants or a screen,”

Liatsos also suggests, “I know a woman who put down an area rug in a corner of her living room. Her business equipment is on that rug, so when she’s on the rug, she’s at work. Off the rug, she’s at home.”

Five, establish boundaries.

When we start working from home, suddenly family can start “getting in the way” of our work schedule. I am fortunate to not have this problem since I live on my own and don’t have any kids. My work schedule can only get interrupted if I let it get interrupted.

If you don’t have that luxury, you need to set some boundaries for your family. There is no such thing as a perfect 50/50 balance between work and life. You may find that some days work takes up 95% of your focus and some days where family takes up 95% of your focus. That’s normal. What is important for the other people in your family to know is that when you are working, they are not to disturb you unless it’s an emergency.

When I was a kid, my dad ran his business from our basement. He would head down around 7 AM and only come up to eat lunch and to get us off the bus. When we [the children] were home (maybe because of a snow day or summer break), we were not allowed to go into the basement while he was working. If we did, he would throw pens at us until we left.

He wasn’t trying to be a jerk, in fact, we laugh about it as we reminisce about it today. He was setting a boundary with us. He was saying, “I love you, but you are not welcome here while I am working.” We understood that in order for him to take care of us and to provide us with all the wonderful things we had growing up, we needed to leave him be.

Helene Liatsos echoes my sentiment, “Train them to understand that this is your business.” She also explains that you need to be prepared to schedule things around you work schedule. “If you have a child, a spouse or a parent at home, when do they need you? That was huge for me with my mother at the end of her life. She was at the doctor’s twice a week, so I’d schedule that. Plan ahead for both personal and business tasks, so everybody knows when you’re not available.”

Six, accountability through technology.

As strange as it may sound, technology is probably going to be your biggest obstacle to overcome. It’s easy to get lost in your social media and various news outlets. I highly suggest that you install a social media and website blocker that activates during the times when you need to be productive.

Technology doesn’t have to be a hindrance, though. If you have employees or you are a sole operation, utilize chat systems like Slack or task management platforms like Trello to make sure that everyone is working on the thing they need to be working on. Both of these systems allow for everyone to see the process of the day’s workload, therefore, remaining accountable.

Seven, find a way to connect.

Working from home is extremely freeing. It’s one of the best decisions I have ever made in my entire life, but there is one major downfall: isolation. Do not wall yourself away in your home. Find a hobby, find a community, find an activity that puts you in touch with people.

Humans are social creatures. It does not help you to become a hermit. I have made it a goal to work from home three times a week and from an office or some social place (like Starbucks) twice a week. Whether or not I interact with someone when I am in my social atmospheres is my choice. But, I am at least surrounded by other humans. It keeps me sane.

Lastly, because you are working from home, it’s easy to slip back into work when you are bored. Find a reason to get out of the house and disconnect from your work. For me, I go to the gym. You would be amazed at the number of problems I have fixed in the middle of a squat session or while mindlessly running.

Enjoy your work from home situation!


Originally published at www.hackingnormal.com on July 27, 2017.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade