Is consulting for you? Working from home, a good fit?

I recently had a chat with a client who was considering going into consulting as she was looking for more flexibility, independence and rewarding work. She asked me what questions to ask to help her find out if it could be a good fit for her.

I had a home based business for several years. A year ago I moved into an office at a co-working space. It was the best decision I’ve made, at this stage of my business and life. Why? Because after years being home based, and with my children now teenagers and more independent, I craved social interaction with other professionals for renewed inspiration and motivation, and, my growing business required a professional setting with meeting rooms, receptionist and other services.

I also needed to get into shape. To live healthier as my Fit-bit was telling me my daily step-count was way too low and my scale told me my kitchen much too close to my office. I needed to create a boundary between work-time and personal-time for a healthy balanced life. This was a bit ironic as working from home was supposed to allow me to exercise more, which I did, at the gym, but I was too sedentary the rest of the day.

I still enjoy working independently and having my own consultancy. It allows me the flexibility and creativity that are my drivers for success. And, I often take care of early morning clients or late night deadlines from my home office, enjoying the benefit of both offices.

If you are considering embarking on a career as a freelance consultant, entrepreneur or working from home, then here are some questions for you to ponder:

1. Are you self motivated and good at managing yourself and prioritize? Working as an independent consultant or from home means you will not have a boss or supervisor telling you what to do and when. There is also no one there to compliment your work so you need to find internal satisfaction from your work. It’s easy to get lost in the email jungle or on social media, so you will need some self-discipline. Create a schedule. The great thing is that YOU set your schedule, so if you have a family to take care of, or interests outside of work, you can work around it. Many who work from home realize they are more productive at home.
2. Are you comfortable working alone while social enough to reach out to people for lunch-meetings, coffee-breaks, and, networking events? As you do not have office-mates to chat with you will need to be proactive to arrange meetings. Without them, loneliness might set in. What has worked for me, is spending the time I save not commuting far, for volunteering with organizations and for issues I support.
3. How difficult or easy is it for you to maintain a balanced life? When working from home, work easily takes over most of your time. Which is a contradiction, since many choose home-based work to have more balance. You will need some self-discipline. Can you resist visiting the pantry in your kitchen for a cookie when you need a break, and instead take a walk, go for a bike ride, visit the gym or mow the lawn? Can you turn of your computer and smartphone and leave work behind at the and of the day and be present and active in your life after work? If yes, then it will work for you.

Co-working seems to be the way of the future, according to some studies. It’s a very good fit for me, the work I do and for living a more balanced, happy and healthy life. And, the overhead I now have for rent, is a new external motivation to seek more projects and work better, not more.

#worklifebalance #coworking #consulting #worklifeintegration #homebasedwork #freelance #healthyatwork

Here’s a very good article on the topic: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/mar/25/extreme-loneliness-or-the-perfect-balance-how-to-work-from-home-and-stay-healthy