3 Culprits Stopping You from Successfully Working from Home

The ability to work from home has been one of the best things that's ever happened to me--it's also one of the worst. When I work from home, productivity directly affects my income. Meaning, I lose money every time I allow a distraction to consume my time.

Seems simple, right? Remove the distraction. Problem solved. Unfortunately, it's slightly more complicated.

I've found these three culprits to be the most hindering when working from home:

1. Technology: When you're your own boss, you're the only one standing in the way of you checking Facebook, Twitter, emails, text messages, etc. If only it was as easy as "I'll only be on for a minute..." Truth is, you'll be on for much longer than a few minutes. Chances are, you'll spend hours doing nothing besides looking at funny memes and cat photos. Hours that could have made you hundreds of dollars.

To avoid falling into the chaos that is the Internet and text messaging, I recommend turning off your Internet feature on your computer and screening calls. Turning off your phone may work better, but if there is an emergency, you wouldn't be reachable. Instead, know that during work hours, your work needs to be number one--just as it would be if you had to go into the office.

Having one computer open with work, another with email, and a final with
social media profiles will leave you with no time and no completed work.

Becoming a Writer

How did you begin writing?

I’ve always thought my path to becoming a writer wasn’t normal, but recently, I’ve begun to wonder if there is such a thing as typical in a writer’s life. Truth is, my inner child shudders whenever I answer this question.

Because I know the exact moment I became a writer.

If there is such a thing as normal in a writer’s life, then I’m certain this doesn’t qualify. I vaguely remember writing stories as a child. I pitter-pattered all night long on my keyboard that was attached to a big, boxy, cream-colored monitor. I wrote more stories than I can remember. I’m sure of this, even though I never shared them with anyone. Some were flash fiction pieces set in the realms of my favorite television shows or movies. Some were longer. Some helped me to understand the world and the struggles I had been facing.

But that’s not when I became a writer. A real writer. That wasn’t the moment. Every writer knows the one. That moment of pure clarity. The moment where you fall in love with something, someone. The moment that caused the dominos to fall.

It all started with a movie.