So many people these days talk about how much they would love to work from home. More and more people are, in fact, doing just that. But before you give up that day job, you should really think about what working from home entails.

Many people tell me that they want to work from home to be able to spend more time with their families. In fact, many work at home jobs, (especially the ones that are scams!) use the line, “Work from home – spend more time with your family” to lure people in.

Think of it this way, you are “working” from home. Get it? “Working.” So, that doesn’t mean you are going to be home, playing outside with the kids, or holding your newborn baby. OK, you can, if you want to. But, will that pay off? How much money do you think you’ll earn for that? Yes, your family will be around, but most likely, they will be distractions as you really try to get some work done. I remember myself, years ago, when I worked in the “real world” and left home to work every day, I actually felt like going to work was a break from all the monotony at home with kids crying and things of that nature.

If you think your home will be cleaner, and you can get more housework done when you are working from home – think again. If you are “working”, then you are “working” – at your job. Not on your housework.

You say you want to work from home so you can actually save money by not having to pay for gas, buy work clothes, or lunch away from home. OK, those are good arguments. Unfortunately, though, most work from home jobs do not pay more than $10 an hour. In fact, many pay even less. If you are thinking of starting up your own business, remember that there may be costs involved, and it may take time to get off the ground before the big bucks start rolling in. If they ever do.

Another deterrent – friends and family. They mean well, but when people know you are home, they want to come over. They also expect you to have time to run errands for them, because you are home. They don’t understand that you are home because you are working. To them, you working means you getting in your car and driving somewhere. What you are doing from home doesn’t count, or is not the same thing.

When you are on someone else’s clock, you are getting paid per hour. When you work from home, you usually only get paid for the work you actually submit. So, at a “real” job, when there is downtime, you are still getting paid. At home, when there is downtime, you’re not.

Don’t get me wrong – you can actually be successful while working from home. However, you should take all things into consideration. It is really not for everybody. It takes a lot more discipline than most would think.

One thing that I always make sure I do is to get up in the morning and “prepare” myself as I would for any other job. I shower and get dressed. Yes, I could spend the day in my PJs, and occasionally, I do. But, I recall my neighbor, who also works from home, one day opening the door for the UPS man in the middle of the day. And I certainly did not want to become what I saw her looking like. Sorry, but you can get a little too comfortable when you work from home. I  certainly don’t want to lose my sense of self.

Other than that, if you can truly dedicate your time to your “work from home” job, you’re good to go! You will have some work to do on getting others to understand. But, if you have the patience and the will to succeed, you can make it work out for you.