Many people say they long to work from their homes. The dreaded commute, irrational bosses, obnoxious co-workers and more stresses fuel these fantasies of leisurely work hours puttering around the house and getting paid for it. Being the master of your own work environment, wardrobe and choice of radio station do sound lovely. And, late-night infomercials would have you believe that the secret to such a delightful, slothful and yet high-earning existence can be yours for just three easy payments.

The truth about working from home, for most of us, is a bit less idealistic. You lose the commute, but gain 24/7 access to your work. You lose the irrational boss and find out that you are either your own worst slave driver or you pamper yourself broke. And, for awhile, you relish replacing those obnoxious co-workers with your dog, who never has long dramatic phone conversations with her ex. Then, you realize the dog never brings much to the conversation, and she never brings donuts to work either.

Here’s a sample day in the life of someone working from home (me).

8:00—9:00: Feed dog. Get diet soda from fridge. Wake up computer. Take vitamin. Open blinds. Turn on lights. Reset thermostat. Let dog out. Check emails. Check schedule. Let dog back in. Get dressed.

9:00—12:00: Drink breakfast shake thing. Check online stuff: affiliate income, website stats, bank balances. Go to meeting (if scheduled). If no meeting, respond to emails and phone calls. Work on client projects.

12:00—12:45: If at home, make lunch and put up last night’s dishes. Think about what to cook for dinner. Eat lunch. Try to take a break from working because Dr. Judi says I need to have a break in the middle of the day. Turn on the TV. Read a magazine while listening to a decorating show. Turn off the TV. Wonder what was on. Let the dog out. Go outside and check the snail mail. Let the dog back in. Go back to work.

12:45 —3:00: Light some candles to jazz up my energy. Read news headlines. Do some writing. Work on client projects. Update my iPod. Return calls and emails. Put a load of laundry in the washer, then dryer.

3:00—4:00: Run work errands or do shopping if necessary. Take a walk if weather is good and time permits. Check email and voice mail. Make calls.

4:00—5:00: Finish up projects for the day. Wish I had an assistant to do my filing. Wonder what to have for dinner. Fold clothes if I remember them.

5:00—Whenever: Dinner, spend time with family and friends, watch TV, walk, work on personal projects (gardening, painting or reading), and if I didn’t finish my projects during the day, it’s back to the office.

And, there you have it. The glamour of working from home. It’s just about the coolest thing ever.

Ready to join me? Start here:

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