does anyone have any experience working from home? I have always dreamed of raising my children from home, as my mom did for me. So I was wondering if/how anyone else is able to work from home? I have a bachelors degree in communication studies. I’m aware of most of the types of work from home jobs, I’m looking for specifics…what did u do? for what company? I live in rhode island if that matters.
I’ve worked from home for the past 2 years. 
I worked in PR and started working from home after I moved to a new area for my husbands career. While I was looking for a new job, I started taking on freelance work–copywriting, editing, writing press releases for small firms, freelance reporting work, etc…
Turned out I ended up with enough freelance work that I stopped interviewing for full time positions and stuck with it. I honestly love it and cant imagine working in a traditional office setting again. The best advice I have is to network network network in your area! Communications is a great background for working at home, but youll want a solid resume, great samples of what you can do, and its easiest if you have some great cheerleaders in your field referring work to you at first and helping you get started.
As to the logistics…set rules for yourself about when and where you work, what is ok (doing some laundry, taking 15 minutes to walk the dog and have a coffee) and what isnt (touching the tv during the day, going on facebook even for 30 seconds, etc…) [name]Even[/name] if I dont have deadlines that day, I make myself stay at my desk as much as possible, work ahead, check in with clients, work on some writing projects of my own, etc…
Now I dont have kids yet, but TTC now and I’m planning to continue working from home as much as I can while raising a family, adjusting the work load as it makes sense.
Good luck!
I used to own an event planning business that I ran from home. The most important thing is to separate personal and professional spaces. It’s very easy to let your personal life spill into your professional life even with a locked door between the two. As pp said, set boundaries and rules and stick to them.
Your office is your office. You go there from 7:30am-5:00pm, with a break for lunch. After that, it’s closed. Kids are not allowed to be in the office during weekday work hours (exceptions apply but be sparing with them.) The kids’ computer or general family computer is not in your office, etc. When you are at work, certain tasks cannot be done simultaneously, like dishes, vacuuming, folding laundry (throwing the wash in is fine), etc. Define which tasks you will be allowed to do during work hours, and which are forbidden. Then stick to that like glue. The temptation to “just this once check my emails while I’m watching tv” can easily spiral into “all day in front of the tv and maybe I’ll check my email around noon.”
[name]One[/name] of the rules I observed when I worked from home (I own a different business now that requires me to work in an office outside my home) was the “dress like you’re not going to the computer room” rule. Get up, take your shower, make your coffee, and then get dressed like you’re going to go to work in a regular office with other people. I wore casual work clothes every day - skirts, casual dress pants (jeans on Thurs and Fri only), blouses (no t-shirts), dress shoes (no flip-flops or house slippers), etc. Hair and make-up were done, teeth brushed, etc. This helps you psychologically keep focused that you are at WORK, not at home. Sort of like “don’t use your bed for anything except sleeping” so your body always associates bed with sleep. Always dress for your profession every day in your home office so your body and mind are geared for work, not chilling at home.
Also, I found set schedules really helped me keep my day organized and on track. 7:30-8:30 read & answer emails and phone messages, 8:30 5-min coffee break, 8:35-10:00 supplier and vendor calls, 10-12 prospecting and new client research, etc. Some people function better without that kind of regimented schedule, but it worked very well to make sure I wasn’t slacking off too much and at the end of the day I could look at my list and feel like I’d really accomplished stuff.
Stay at your desk as much as possible, but schedule time every day to get out of the house. If your lunch break is 1 hour, then eat for 15 min and go take a walk for the other 45. Go for a jog, pop over to the gym for a quickie work-out, take the dog for a ball-throw in the park for a half hour, whatever. [name]Just[/name] get out of the house for a little bit each day, otherwise Friday may roll around and you’ll realize the only time you’ve set food outside is get the email. That’s not good physically or psychologically.
Good luck, and have fun with it!
I would love to work from home, but I can’t find anything like that 
I’m a work from home mom, and it is not easy! But like Lucystone said, it helps a ton to get dressed each day like you’re leaving the house to go into an office environment. I don’t have anyone to watch my kids yet, and it really limits me in the amount of work I’m able to accomplish. Some days are better than others. I’m blessed with the flexibility to completely set my own hours and work in the evenings when my husband is home to help with the kids. We are searching for a house, and as soon as we buy one I will find a part-time nanny or someone to help out at least a few hours a day so I can help my business grow. It is important as a mom to be able to separate yourself (mentally if not physically) from your children, or you will not be able to work from home. Your mind will be much too occupied with asking yourself if your kids are okay, etc. Mine are young (3 and 1) and I can’t leave them alone for more than a few minutes at a time. This does allow me some sporadic time to make phone calls, but really my time should be more organized. (I’m working on it!!) And also, like Lucystone said, make sure to get out of the house every day. That really is very important.
Also, with regards to the babysitter, I know you want to raise your kids from home, but don’t feel like that by having someone help with your kids that it means you’re not there for them. You will be in your office with your door shut, and the babysitter can help the kids with movies, snacks, games, etc. And if you need to help give kisses when they’re hurt or you just need a 15 minute break, it is okay to go see them.
I have learned that for my 3-year-old he understands “mommy’s work time.” So maybe you can put a little doorhanger on the door when they can’t come in. This will help give them a visual reminder. Make sure it’s relatable for your kids. (Like my boys love [name]Thomas[/name] the train, we’ll decorate a little [name]Thomas[/name] doorhanger together.)
[name]Hope[/name] this helped! Best of luck to you!
Thanks for the replies everyone! I’m not a mom yet either, just really wanting to be. I currently work a dead-end job in retail that I hate so I’d like to get some experience with working at home before having a child.
Lineska, your reply was very helpful…[name]How[/name] did you start the work from home? Did you have previous clients and/or a portfolio of work to show your prospective clients? The work you have done is something I think I’d really like and be good at…I just have no idea how to even begin and would be starting totally from scratch.
Ariannew, what work do you do from home and how did you get started?
Honestly, I’d even be willing to work for a call center, a data entry job, editing or another position that isn’t going to make me rich. Does anyone know of any specific companies that hire people to work from home? Everything seems to be a scam or not hiring…
Your location should not matter much if you’re looking to work from home. That’s the whole point of working from home. You can work for clients across the length and breadth of the country, although some people may suggest working with local clients is probably better.
Given your academic background, you can probably look into stuff like editing and writing. Customer support is another option. If you’re willing to take some additional courses, virtual assistance is an excellent work-at-home job. It pays well and the work is amazingly diverse. You can take a look at Career Step’s administrative assistant training and see if it’s something you’d like to try out!
Your location should not matter much if you’re looking to work from home. That’s the whole point of working from home. You can work for clients across the length and breadth of the country, although some people may suggest working with local clients is probably better.
Given your academic background, you can probably look into stuff like editing and writing. Customer support is another option. If you’re willing to take some additional courses, virtual assistance is an excellent work-at-home job. It pays well and the work is amazingly diverse. You can take a look at Career Step’s administrative assistant training and see if it’s something you’d like to try out!
I worked from home doing freelance work for a major textbook publisher, after having worked as a full-time editor for that company for several years. Most people I know who do freelance writing and editing started full time with a company and then made enough contacts in the field to go at it on their own. I don’t mean to discourage you, but the job market is dismal right now–companies are not hiring full-time employees, let alone freelance or project workers. I’m now a college professor, and it’s very disheartening to see so many of our graduates looking for and unable to find jobs. It’s also much cheaper for companies to keep the work in house with existing employees than it is to farm it out to freelancers, so most freelancers I know are looking for work at the moment.
I also can’t imagine working from home while taking care of children (I have one in daycare and another on the way), but I know some women who do it (how they do it is another question). I think an at-home nanny or babysitter is essential.