6 Steps to Work At Home Faster

When I first wanted to work-at-home, prospects and resources were fairly lean. Today, work-at-home opportunities abound, so it easier and more affordable than ever to make home-based career. And yet, so many people still struggle. Perhaps you’re one of the people who is having a hard time finding the right work-at-home situation for your skills and goals. In the nearly 20 years I’ve been doing Work-At-Home Success, the three big mistakes I see people make in wanting to work at home is that they:

1) Don’t learn about working at home first.

2) Look for fast, easy, do-nothing programs that usually are scams and certainly don’t work.

3) Don’t focus enough time and effort on a regular basis.

Below are my tips for achieving your work-at-home goal faster.

How to start working at home faster:

1) Give up the idea of signing up for easy money.

I’ve met a lot of people who work at home over the years and none of them signed up for a three-click or do-nothing program. None stuff envelopes, glue birdhouses (or other assembly work) or “post ads.” You’re more likely to get scammed with these programs, and you’ll slow your work-at-home success down looking for a fast, easy work-at-home program.

2) Arm yourself with knowledge.

The best way to avoid scams and shorten your learning curve is to study working at home. Do you want to find a work-at-home job? Then take some time to learn about telecommuting, including why companies allow it and how you can put your best foot forward when applying. WAHS has a ton of information about work-at-home jobs.  Are you wanting to freelance or start a home business, study up on that as well. Learning about work-at-home will help you create the list of to-dos needed to get started, avoid pitfalls, and get up and running ASAP.

3) Make a list of your skills, experiences, interests and passions.

Nearly everyone I know who is successful working at home tapped into something they already knew how to do or loved. When making your list, don’t just write down job titles. Write down all the duties you had with those jobs. Also write down volunteer experiences and hobbies. Just because people work-at-home in a career they already knew about, doesn’t it mean it came from job skills. I know people who sell their crafts on Etsy or turned their love of story telling into a successful self-publishing career. Others started a blog on a topic they loved and/or were passionate about. The key point is that they used some part of them that already existed whether it was a skill or interest.

4) Match your skills, experience, interests and passions to work-at-home options.

If you want a work-at-home job, search for jobs that need the skills and knowledge you have. If you want to start a home business, figure out how to turn your experiences, knowledge and passions into income. Can you sell your skills (i.e. service business)? Can you create a product from it? Can you sell your knowledge (i.e. blog or information product)?

5) Make working at home a priority.

No one successfully works at home during flitting bits of time. People who work-at-home have a plan and they work that plan every day. If you want a work-at-home job, you need to search and apply every day. If you want to start a home business, you need to work through your to-do list to set up and then build your business every day. Working at home is like a traditional job in that you have to actually work regularly. You can’t haphazardly put effort into your goal one day and then leave it alone for a week. Sure, time might be tight, but how badly do you want to work at home? How much more time will have when you’re successfully home-based? How much time do you waste on activities that could be put to more productive and profitable use?

6) Tap your network.

Today we live in a review and recommendation society. The same is true in finding jobs or getting clients and customers. And who better to help you find the connections and resources you need than people who already know you, your skills, and work ethic. Reach out to people in your network to let them know you’re looking for work or are staring a home business. The six degrees of separation is real. You can expand your reach exponentially if you’re willing to reach out to your network. Just remember to access your network by offering value and service, not by asking for a handout.

This is where the rubber meets the road. If you’re serious about working at home, there is a ton of information here at WAHS and other resources to tell you how. There are more and more opportunities available to you. But your success depends on you and whether or not you make informed decisions and put steady, regular effort into reaching your goal.

[bctt tweet=”You can #workthome faster! Here’s how” username=”@ltruex”]