How to Start Working from Home

If you’re like me, you’re probably skeptical about this whole work-from-home or online job hustles— a scorching topic right now for most modern working or stay-at-home moms.

I’ve always had a “real” job and relied on a paycheck to help contribute to my family’s income. I don’t get how people can work from their homes and regarded these online job advertisements as nothing more than a scam. Because really…

…how do you earn a living from working from home? Isn’t it all just a ploy to get you to buy into a product or some sort of tactic to get your credit card info?

I had no clue.

But then I would see young men and women typing away on their laptops inside coffee shops or hotel resorts and I’d find myself wondering what they were doing.

Sometimes, I’d get to peek at their screens (naughty me), and I’d see powerpoint presentations, excel spreadsheets, or something that would involve a graph or the dollar sign.

Back then, I didn’t know if there were options out there for someone like me to do something like that, and I’ve always assumed that it’s probably complicated and all too technical for my mommy-brain.

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Even if I did want to try, I don’t even know where or how to start!

But as a mom, it’s always been my dream to be able to work from home, which is why when I quit my last job, I’ve tried many different ways to earn income online: selling stuff on eBay and Etsy, working as a virtual assistant on oDesk (now called Upwork), and writing content for companies’ websites and blogs.

All those times, I spent a good amount of time researching on how I should go about it. I didn’t know where to begin and what to do because there weren’t any straightforward resources that I could look into.

So you can imagine how happy I am,  that today,  I have two resources that I can share with you:

Master Your Money

Grow your Business

You can click HERE if you’re interested in becoming an affiliate for Ultimate Bundles

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHEN YOU SHOULD QUIT YOUR JOB AND START WORKING FROM HOME?

Here are some things you should ask yourself:

Do you have the right personality? 

Figure out if you have what it takes to work from home, or if you are willing to do the hard work that comes with it. Unlike a traditional job where everything is handed to you on a silver platter (well…almost), working from home means that you’re pretty much on your own.

Woke up late?

That’s on you.

Failed to get a client?

That’s on you.

No income this month?

That’s on you.

You will be responsible for every aspect of your job, and I am saying this because not everyone can do the #adulting thing.

How much money do you need to make each month?

You need to figure out how much you would need to be earning online so that you can replace your income from your day job. For most people, the target is usually around $3,000-$5,000 a month before they decide to quit their job to go work online full-time.If you’re lucky enough to have another

If you’re lucky enough to have another breadwinner in the family, a modest goal of $500-$2,000 works well too. This is not to say that your online income will not grow in the future! 🙂

Are you ok with little or no company benefits?

If you have children, this is a big factor to consider when making your decision. The great thing with traditional jobs, depending on the company you work with, is that they come with added benefits such as transportation or meal allowances, or a medical insurance for you or your family.

If you are going to work online, know that you may have to pay your own taxes,  insurances, and so on. Even if you do work in a company that promotes work-at-home positions, you’ll most likely receive very little to no benefits as you would be considered an independent contractor.

Are you willing to invest in yourself by taking classes or online courses?

When I started this blog, there was a huge learning curve!

I’d be totally lost if not for the Ebooks that I’ve read to be able to understand this whole blogging thing.

I also invested in  E-courses  to be able to actually earn decent income from this new business.

I’m also trying to explore other ways I could earn additional income whenever I could.

For instance, I’m recently learning how to become a pinterest virtual assistant. I plan to create a helpful guide on what I learn so if you want to be updated, please sign up on my email list so I can keep you notified.

 

Do you have money to invest into a business?

Working online doesn’t mean that you get to skip putting money into your business. You need to constantly update yourself with online trends to keep up with the demands of your clients, and I think the best way to invest in your business is to invest in your knowledge.

If you’re serious about your dream of working from home, and you’re still confused on where to start, I suggest starting a profitable blog with this ebook.  🙂

 

How many and what hours are you able to work? 

As a mom, my free hours are erratic — one day I could have all morning available to work online, and the next day, I could be attending a PTA meeting and couldn’t go online until all the children are asleep. Determine the amount of time that you could devote online and from there, look for jobs that would fit your “real” schedule, not your “I hope” schedule.

If you need extra help to be more efficient and organized, I suggest this productivity resource.

Do you have the tools needed to do the job?

With most online jobs, you only need a computer or a laptop, and a stable internet connection. But there are other jobs that require other things like an ergonomic keyboard, this foot pedal set for a transcriptionist, or a headset for a customer service representative. Determine your essential work tools and invest in them (you’ll be using it to make money with!) 🙂

Ok, so say you feel you are ready to dive into the world of freelance work online. How would do you plan to survive?

 

HERE ARE SOME OF MY TIPS FOR WORKING FROM HOME:

Have a Designated Work Area

This is my number one mistake when I started A Calming Home. I didn’t have a place where I could gather my thoughts and focus on my work. This is still pretty hard for me to do as we are in the process of moving countries, so I don’t think I’ll be working from a pretty, Instagramable pink office just yet.

 

Get Comfortable

Have your water, tea, or coffee on hand. You could be working in your PJs or wearing a 4″ high heels and a pencil skirt. Whatever it is, get as comfortable as you can, because you will be working for a while.

In my case, I don’t like working in frumpy outfits because they make me feel lazy and dreary. I don’t do my best work in an office garb as well; my most comfortable “uniform” is a circle skirt, a closed toe flat, and a pretty blouse.

Plan your day

Create a schedule that actually works for you and follow-through. If you do not have the discipline to do your work during your designated work time, you’ll easily fall behind and not get anything done. Organize your time such that you are able to work and still see that the housework gets done.

You can create chore lists and ask your husband or kids to help you. Don’t forget to include your lunch or break time so you don’t burn out.

Organize your time such that you are able to work and still see that the housework gets done. You can create chore lists and ask your husband or kids to help you. Don’t forget to include your lunch or break time so you don’t burn out.

Stick To Your Prime Work Hours

I used to be a night owl and get more done while everybody is fast asleep, but after pushing out 2 tiny humans out of my body, my brain somehow got rewired and I found that I now work better early in the morning, just as the sun is rising.

Know what works for you and the kind of work you have to tackle.

Conquer the bigger tasks during your prime hours, and the smaller tasks when you are at your laziest.

 

Minimize Distractions

Multi-tasking is so yesterday. Focus on one task at a time so you’re not giving half-baked products to your clients or readers because your attention wasn’t fully there when you were making them. When you get distracted, it’ll take you more time to recover your momentum and more time to do a single task than you would if you were 100% focused on it.

Time is essential in our kind of work; use it smartly. How?

When you get distracted, it’ll take you more time to recover your momentum and more time to do a single task than you would if you were 100% focused on it. Time is essential in our kind of work; use it smartly. How?

Create a to-do-lists with your daily threes

What are your daily threes? If you don’t write it down, you’ll easily get sidetracked. Just write all of your tasks to create a master list. This will help you achieve your daily goals and keep you on track.

Write the 3 most important tasks that would have the most profound change for your housework, online work or business. Make sure to do them on your prime work hours so that you can tackle them with your best.

Write the 3 most important tasks that would have the most profound change for your housework, online work or business. Make sure to do them on your prime work hours so that you can tackle them with your best.

The list will prevent you from doing other things that are not a priority. If it’s not on the list, it’s only wasting your time. By midday, review your goals if you are still in line with them. Work your way through the list as the day progresses, and roll over whatever’s not done unto the next days’ list.

 

Prioritize Work/Life balance

Do not take on more workload if your time with your family is suffering. If you can, hire virtual assistants to help you with menial tasks, or pay for time-saving services like a social media manager or schedulers.

Change Up Your Environment

Working from home doesn’t mean you’re tied to the confines of your house. You can change your scenery from time to time so you don’t feel like you’re stuck in a dull pattern. You can pretty much work anywhere! The coffee shop. The park. The beach. The zoo? You get the point. 🙂

The coffee shop. The park. The beach. The zoo?

You get the point. 🙂

 

Work According to your Personality

I used to work as a technical support representative, and my job was to deal with customers and handle any hardware issues they’re having with our company products.

I’m an introvert, so you can pretty much forecast how long I lasted in this job.

When they put me on the floor to take my first call, my voice was so tiny and trembling that the caller gave up and hung up on me.

I lasted 3 months on that job…*sigh* ok, one month.

one month of active call-taking!

Here’s a list of Online Job Ideas according to your personality:

INTROVERT (my people):

• chat/email jobs
• Community moderators/social media managers
• search engine evaluation
• freelance writing
• transcription
• data entry jobs
• proofreading/editing

EXTROVERT (still my people, but from admiring eyes)

• phone work customer service
• Customer Service
• Telemarketing
• Sales
• Lead Generation
• Technical Support
• virtual assisting
• affiliate marketing
• direct sales

Don’t quite fit in? Maybe you’re an opportunist?

 Try these:

1. home-based business( eg. I sell buttercream cakes)
2. blogging (Don’t know how to start one? I’ve written this GUIDE for you!
3. Product creation (ebooks or ecourses)

If you need to create your own strategy on how you should be going about working from home, I suggest that you list down your skills and choose those that would translate to online work.

I hope that this post will help you start your dream of creating income from the comforts of your home.