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In the previous post we discussed 10 Advantages Of Working From Home. Today I will mention some of the disadvantages of working from home. In my opinion, the advantages of a home based business outweigh the disadvantages of working from home, but in fairness we should discuss both.

• Letting the freedom spoil us. All the advantages of working from home can make us spoiled. It’s very easy to be sidetracked by the benefits of working at home because of the familiarity of our surroundings and the freedom that comes with it. Running a home business is not a vacation from work, it’s a business. If you get too comfy you risk falling behind on actual work. Make no mistake, you must work if you want the business to succeed.
• Easy to lose focus due to family distractions. Working from home can add as many distractions as an offsite workplace, but because you’re at home you can put personal distractions first and work second. When working for an employer our kids aren’t fighting in the background over who get’s more cereal while we are on the phone with a client. Working at home may create family disturbances we never encounted at work in the past. If you don’t set up proper rules and boundaries for your family when starting a home business you can end up losing focus on the business when you’re too busy scolding the children, for example. We need to set rules and boundaries for our family members BEFORE starting a home based business.
• Lack of exercise. Working at home takes away the need to commute to work everyday and reduces the physical activity normally exerted with that commute. This can be a problem if your home business requires you to work long hours. Being at home for extended periods of time can cause weight gain, even loss of muscle. You have to get some sort of regular exercise.
• Need to follow a routine. If we don’t follow a routine we risk falling behind on work and experiencing the same stresses of  working for an employer. We may have disliked the routine of working in the corporate world, but routines are necessary. You can’t run a business without a decent routine. Working at home is still work.
• Cabin fever. Sometimes a home based business involves long work hours and you end up in the house for long periods of time. This can make you irritable, forgetful, and can even cause depression. Spending too much time in one environment without a change of scenery can have a negative impact on our mind and body. Along with regular exercise, mentioned earlier,  a steady change of scenery is also helpful.

Those are 5 disadvantages of working from home that I have faced so far.

What else would you add to the list?