Have you ever wondered how it would feel to set up your own working hours, office entrance and exit times? Take a weeklong vacation whenever it feels like you are all worn out? Seems like a fairy-tale when you are working for someone else, isn’t it?
Well with the help of technology now you can turn that fairy tale into reality. Now you have the option to work right from the comfort of your home. And if you are passionate towards writing well good news!
There are endless opportunities in the ocean of outsourcing – being a blogger is one of most of most potential paths you can end up walking in.
However, before you begin working at home as a blogger; make sure that you are well prepared. Otherwise, all of a sudden you might find yourself stranded in a tough world and start questioning your choices.
- Take Care of Your Debts
Why do people work for others? Because it ensures a fixed source of income ensuring financial security. After all, we all have to pay your bills and clear our debts. A steady cash flow is a survival must.
So before quitting your job, try to reduce your debt as much as possible. Otherwise, they can create an unnecessary psychological pressure on you.
If your debts are cleared or at least reduced to an acceptable level, you can start blogging from home with a clear head. It is never easy to give your best performance if you have something else banging in your head.
- Have a Savings Account
Let’s face it. There is a very good possibility that in your early days as a blogger, you won’t be making a good money. However, your monthly bills have to be paid right?
So make sure to have a savings account that will give you the necessary financial support in your early days of working from home.
Having a savings account will allow you to take some time before you start making some cash with blogging. When you are in desperate need of cash to pay your bills, you will be forced to accept anything that comes your way.
So have your cash reserve well in order to avoid this situation. Continue with your boring and back-breaking job just for a few more months if you have to so that you save enough cash in to support you in your early days of working from home.
- Get Your Workstation Ready
Even if you are no longer going to the office, you still need a well-organized workstation. When you are working from home, it is quite natural to face disruptions that you usually won’t face in an office.
Your children may misplace your all important documents while looking out for their hidden treasures. Or you may get distracted by your neighbour’s loud music or the TV running on high volume. So make sure that you have a completely separate space in your house.
This will be your workstation where you won’t get distracted by all kinds of domestic noises. Also, make sure that you have the right working desk and chair. On top of that, have a recliner as well which will protect you from the possible back pain.
If you can have a room available to be turned into your workstation then that’s great. If you don’t, try to use room dividers like shelves to separate your station from other parts of the room.
- Set Up Your Working Hours
This is going to be one of the toughest challenges in your early days of blogging from home.
It is never easy to become your own boss and run tight schedules when you have the scope to fly like a free bird.
When you are going to your workplace, you are desperate to be there by 9 AM because that’s the rule. But what about office hours when you are at home and there is no boss to answer to? Well, don’t start getting too comfortable with it.
Make sure that you maintain working hours even when you are working from home. Discipline and consistency are key everywhere. Your working hours does not necessarily have to be just like any other conventional office.
If you are planning to work from 11 AM in the morning till 3 PM and again from 8 PM to 10 PM, maintain that timeline every single day. Working for someone else or yourself, consistent working hours are vital.
- Make Sure that You have Back-ups
The “One Man Army” phenomenon may sound too heroic. Yes, you are at home blogging, making your living through your passion. But that does not necessarily mean you won’t need any help down the line.
You have to take care of your household chores and children. Sometimes you might even have to go out to walk your dog. So make sure that you have your backups ready to deal with these everyday responsibilities.
You can have a part-time housekeeper who will pay you a visit and take care of your household while you’re busy with work. Or you can make a schedule with your parents to take care of your kids sometimes. This is one way to balance your professional and personal life effectively.
- Start Building Your Portfolio Early
If you can work an extra couple of hours at night after returning home, do that to build your portfolio before quitting your job. This way, you will have something to work with when you start your full-time venture as a blogger.
Lots of highly successful bloggers left their jobs once they landed a great project to work on. Many of them had few regular clients who would ensure that there is a consistent flow of work to secure some cash inflow.
At the same time, building your portfolio early will give you the head start. This can help with your long-term career as a blogger working from home. This will give you the confidence as well as the motivation to come one step closer to your dream of becoming a successful blogger.
One thing is for sure, deciding to quit your job and start blogging from home is a big leap of faith. You cannot just come up with that decision without careful planning and preparation.
The Bottom Line
So make sure that you are clearing your debts & having healthy savings before you become a full-time home-based blogger. Also, have a workstation and if possible, a running portfolio. This will help you make a fresh start towards your adventure of a lifetime.
There are many successful full-time bloggers nowadays. There are endless opportunities waiting for you. All you need is an organized approach and the right mentality to work consistently.
Author Bio:
This article has been contributed by Shawn. He is a full-time content writer at Feedfond. Besides reading and writing, he is fully devoted to philosophy and motivational speaking. Check more of his articles at Feedfond.com.