Most of us dream of getting a job to work online so we can escape the commute and work around family.
Working from home as a remote worker or as an entrepreneur or having a side hustle—all of them simply mean you have the independence to do many other things that you love.
According to this study, 3.7 million employees work online at least half the time. This shows a growing trend of home workers.
Working from home is a favorite for many people, but for some, it can be very daunting. It is not for everyone. There are some things you need to excel in in order to work from home successfully.
The way I see it, these skills are useful for anyone who wants to get ahead in their career, job, or business. But they are essential skills for someone who is looking at working from home.
Here are the skills you need to work online:
#1. Self-driven
I have been working from home for nine years now, and it would not have been a great journey if I were not self-driven. When you work from home, there are many things to consider like family distractions, emergencies, day-to-day routines, etc. It is very easy for you to get distracted from your work completely.
Being self-motivated/self-driven goes a long way to achieving your goals in a typical work-at-home environment and makes it less stressful.
If you are just starting your work-at-home journey, then I highly recommend this book. I was so happy to find such practical advice from someone who has been on this journey.
#2. Super organized
I am a huge supporter of being organized whether it is in your personal life or professional life. It is quite important for everyone to plan and manage to reach targets when it comes to working from home.
Because of the different distractions when working remotely, sometimes you need to multitask, and for that you need to have a planned day ahead of you. That way you can create a balance between work and family enabling you to meet deadlines.
Related:
- Benefits of Working from Home: 5 Ways You Can Increase Your Productivity
- How to Search for Your First Work-at-Home Job
- How to Spot Work-at-Home Scams When Looking for Jobs
#3. Loner at work
OK, if you are a remote worker or work online entirely, then you are very used to this feeling of being alone while working. Feeling alone at work is something all of us, especially home workers, face at one time or an other.
If you are planning on working from home or looking for something online, then you need to prepare yourself for this.
Sometimes this is a deciding factor for some people, when it comes to opting for work-from-home options or not. If you are comfortable working by yourself, with no peers around, then working from home can be your thing.
#4. Networking superstar
Some people work from home because either they are happy working alone or they don’t need much support from peers. But there is one key point that you need to remember when you work remotely: there is a definite need to reach out and communicate with others to grow your business/hustle.
This not only helps you to build your business or hustle but also aids in making long-term working relationships. Entrepreneurs, bloggers, business owners, and others constantly network with others in their fields to grow and make new relationships, which in turn, helps to expand their business.
#5. One-person show
Now, this is right in some cases. If you are working from home, then you need to handle everything by yourself, and this varies according to different kinds of work options. If you work from home like for a crowdsourcing company, then you have to tackle all the issues of the work by yourself.
There is also the option of you outsourcing some of your tasks to virtual assistants or freelancers. This is usually the case for bloggers, online entrepreneurs, or business owners.
#6. Balance work and family
For me, the whole point of working from home is to work around my family and be there when they need me. That gives me the satisfaction of not missing out on some of the important events in my kids’ lives. But it can be a tricky situation when you try to reach goals both in work and your family life.
Finding a balance can be hard, but it is possible over a period of time. I am a night owl and what works for me is spending time with my family during the day and working when my kids sleep at night.
#7. Technical pro
I am so bad at this. It is entirely a different ball game when you have to handle the technical things by yourself because not everyone is good at it. You will have to prepare yourself for being tech savvy and troubleshooting issues with a home office set up.
There is a fix for this: you can always outsource all your tech work to a freelancer, but there are some basic things you would need to learn to make your work-at-home experience a smoother process.
#8. Flexibility
Flexibility is a HUGE factor that most people opt for, when it comes to working from home. If you are a person working from home, you need to have a lot of flexibility regarding changing your plans, working at different times, and adjusting your schedule to make work and family fit in.
Though working at home does give you a lot of flexible options, you need to have the flexibility to adjust your working schedule to different scenarios because of the distractions.
#9. Commitment to work
The one thing that demands the most attention is your commitment to work. It is understandable that when you work with family or have a home setup, you can be swayed by different things and your work might take a back seat.
So if you are making the leap to working from home, then you should have a strong commitment to work and have a solid plan to reach your work deadlines every day.
These are some crucial and necessary skills you need to have if you are thinking of working from home. These skills can prove to be helpful even if you are not in a work-from-home setup. Nevertheless, developing these skills is not a hard task.
If you are planning on doing remote work, then do try to develop these traits to make your working at home arrangement more productive so you can enjoy the flexibility.
Do you possess all these skills you need to work online?
Then consider these options:
- You can be a virtual assistant and use your multitasking/time management skills.
- Take a shot at being a scopist and make money from home editing courthouse transcripts.
- Be a freelance writer and start making a six-figure income right from your home.
The possibilities are endless, and if you work on your skills, then there is no limit for your income. Start your new location-independent job today!!
What, according to you, is the most challenging factor of working from home?
Sireesha,
I love these skills! I’ve been working from home for a little over 2 years and self-motivation needs to be strong.
I think you also need to have that “entrepreneurial bug.” A lot of entrepreneurs have a ton of ideas for new businesses and you need that fuel to run your online biz for sure. I know I have a ton of ideas for both my blogs!
Great post!
Hi Elna,
I totally agree with you!! The constant self-motivation and desire to do what you love is vital for any work at home stream. I totally stalk your blog :-).You always have such unique posts, love them!!