How do you know which work from home option to pick?
In a previous post – How can I make money from home? – I talked about the many different options for working from home. It is great to have so much available to choose from, but it can also be very overwhelming. How do you know which option is right for you?
You could certainly just pick an option that seems attractive and jump into it. But you may find yourself regretting that down the line if you realize that option wasn’t the right fit for you. I’ve done that, several times. What I recommend is that you take some time to think about your situation, your personality, and your goals before you jump into an option. It takes longer up front but could save yourself a lot of time and work in the long run.
Know your situation
First, you need to know what your situation is. By that, I mean what do you have available in terms of money, time and mindset?
Finances
You need to know where you stand financially before you can pick the right option for you. And you really should have a good understanding of your financial situation as a basic life skill. Unfortunately, a lot of adults lack this knowledge because it’s just not something taught in schools to everyone, like English or History.
You should know what your monthly income is, your bills coming out, and how much you can save. This will help you figure out what monthly income number you will target to replace your regular job with a work from home job or business.
You also need to know how much you have saved up. That savings could serve as money to invest in training or a business. Or it could serve to pay the bills if you decided to quit your job.
Time
You need to know how much time you can invest in starting a work from home option. We all have the same 24 hours in a day to sleep, eat, work, be social, be entertained, and wso on. Today you are filling up those hours somehow. You will have to give something up to change your life to work from home.
Will you be giving up leisure time? Such as time spent gaming, watching TV, or surfing Facebook? Will you be giving up social time with friends and family? Will you be giving up sleep? Will you be giving up a job?
Overall, while you will have to give things up, it is important to still find balance. You need to find time to be healthy, to relax, to nurture your relationships with family and friends, etc.
Mindset
Mindset is actually very important. You need to not only consider your own mindset but the mindset of the people around you. Some of us are more solitary than others, but pretty much everyone gets a huge benefit from having at least one person cheerleading you on and believing in you. And you also need to believe in yourself. Sometimes you will be able to find people already in your friends, family or community that will support you. You will also want to start connecting with a new community of people who have the work from home mindset. There will be those still trying to achieve the work from home life that you can grow with, and those already successful that you can learn from.
Your current mindset – whether you are of the right frame of mind to be successful as an employee, as a freelancer, or as a business owner – will help determine what is the right fit for you. Or, what you need additional mindset training on.
Know your personality
It’s important that whatever you choose to do fits your personality. There are different aspects that you can get to know.
I recommend that, first, you know whether you are an introvert or an extrovert. Introverts need alone time to recharge and extroverts need social time to recharge. It may be easier to work from home as an introvert, and harder as an extrovert. But both personalities can work from home successfully with different strategies. A good test to figure out which one you are, as well as some other personality traits, is the Myers-Briggs test. You can take it for free at 16Personalities.com.
Myers-Briggs will also tell you other aspects of your personality, and the test listed above will also list some possible professions you might be suited for.
Another personality test I like is The Four Tendencies. It basically helps you figure out your motivation – whether you are motivated by your own goals, by others’ expectations, or if you have problems being motivated by either. You can take the test to find out your type online here, and you can buy the book on Amazon to find out more details.
Know what you love
You can make money doing something you don’t love. A lot of people do that every day with their jobs. But with so many different ways to make money, why not do it with something you enjoy? This is especially important when you’re starting a business. Doing something you enjoy will help keep you going until your business is consistantly making money.
You can figure this out by listing out your hobbies, aspects of your job or school that you enjoy, and even ask family and friends what they think you love.
Know your goals and motivation
What are your goals in life? What are your financial goals? Do you want to start a family? Do you want to travel? Do you want to spend more time with your kids? Do you want to be a boss and manage people? Do you have certain knowledge or skills you want to obtain? Do you need to make money fast, or you can spend time without making anything while you build up a business?
All of these goals are your motivations to make a change. And to help you pick a path.
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Knowing will all of these things – your financial situation, the time you can spend, your mindset, your personality, your loves, and your goals and motivations – will help you figure out what work from home option will work for you. Different options have different income potential, time costs, and some options will fit your goals and personality better than others.
