Working on your mobile phone is one of the best things in life. No co-workers, no soul-crushing journey to work every morning, no supervisors getting on your nerves, and no begging for permission to attend a family event. The moment you sign up for a job online and complement it with a few money-making apps such as Swagbucks, CashPirate, Fronta, iPoll, Field Agent, ShopKick, Streetbees, Curious Cat, Citizen me, Feature Points, Roamler and Foap, you choose freedom. Yes, you can do whatever you want and still make a decent living!
Nonetheless, working from home is not that easy. In fact, research done by United Nations International Labor shows that most people who work remotely are more vulnerable to an intense work pace, work-home interference, greater stress, and more working hours than those in a conventional office.
Having worked online for the last five years, I can attest to the fact that it is not always rainbows and unicorns. Below are some of the biggest challenges people working online face. Trust me; I have experienced them first-hand!
Working too much
As I write this article, I have already written 3000 words for an Australian client, 1500 words for a Swedish SEO company, and I still have more to deliver to an American agency that is too strict with deadlines. I know I am not alone!
Most people who work online operate from home. Therefore, they have work and personal life under the same roof; hence they find themselves doing more than they could have done if they were in a conventional office.
Some people claim that they forget to stop working, get little time for breaks, and even have little or no time for their family.
But you can prevent this problem by:
- Setting reminders to take breaks
- Setting appointments during the day so that you can have time to get out of the house
- Being clear on working hours and working days
- Turning off notifications on your mobile phone or computer, so that you are not pulled back to work during your free time.
Interruptions
Sometimes, my mind will be engulfed in my work, then all of a sudden, I will remember my TV program is about to start and rush to my TV. This is regardless of the fact that I have thousands of words that I need to take care of before the end of the day.
Interruption is a challenge that most people working online face. Some have pets, others children, others both, while some like myself have friends who keep ringing the doorbell without notice!
Distractions can compromise performance, and this can adversely affect your online business. Below are some of the ways you can deal with interruptions:
- Get childcare for small children
- Send a signal to people within and outside your home that you are in focus mode. You can do this by locking the door, or when a need arises, put a do not disturb sign on it!
- Train your kids and pets not to disturb you when you are focused on your work
- Don’t answer calls or reply to messages during work hours
- Keep distractors from your work area. For example, if you love gaming, don’t place a console in your home office
- Escape from interruptions. You can rent a co-working space or work from a public library
Loneliness
When working online, you break ties with your old friends and deny yourself the chance to make new ones.
Remote work can make you a lone ranger, and you might not have anyone to talk to when you are stressed out. I once heard one of the best writers in my country say that his best friend is an old dog named Alex that he inherited from his father. It is that serious. Online work might turn you into a hermit!
To minimize loneliness, do the following:
- Sometimes, work in a coffee shop or a public library and interact with people
- Join local groups, organization, and clubs
- Include social breaks in your schedule
- Have a day out with your family at least once a week.
Although working online comes with a host of challenges, you can deal with them in different ways as outlined above. Therefore, don’t give up on remote work, because the world is going online!
