The technological advancements introduced in the late 1980s to early 1990s were supposed to make working for someone else less hectic. While businesses are more efficient than they were nearly 20 years ago, business owners in the general workforce have managed to turn the extra free time into more work. Instead of working less people are working more. To realize the consequences this more work has on workers, you can simply look at has also grown in numbers. More than anything else, issues that are related to mental and physical well-being seem to multiply daily. This is a clear indication that the stress related to how we work has overtaken us. Since most of us have to work for a living, what can you do to avoid the detrimental effects of working for someone else? Work from home and enjoy peace of mind and body.
Mental Benefits
The most significant difference between working for someone else and working for yourself that can affect your mental well-being is that you have control over what happens during your day. Flex Hours and paid time off offer workers outside of the home some flexibility with their work schedule, but you still are not in control. If your boss asks you to work overtime to complete a project, more than likely you’re going to feel compelled to do it to save your job. Some people feel bad when they have to take any time away from work. When you’re placed in this situation on a regular basis, you can easily set yourself up for a stressful condition. When you own the business, you can just say “no” or offer alternatives when a client puts you in an uncomfortable work situation. You determine how much or as little that you want to work.
When you work for someone else you rarely, if ever, experience the direct appreciation for your efforts. This is understandable since you are probably contributing just a fraction of something larger. Couple this with not being paid what you feel your worth, and your mental well-being can suffer tremendously. Working from home offers you the boost of confidence and personal sense of accomplishment that is the hallmark of success. Every project you take on, complete, and for which the client shows satisfaction is a direct testament to your self worth.
Physical Benefits
People who don’t work for themselves are often overworked. Whether they are climbing the ladder of success or just performing duties in a day-to-day job, people have to cram in as much work as they can in their workday. When you spend eight hours or longer at work, there is a good chance that you consume your key meals that provide you the energy and stability you need to make it through the day. Unfortunately, in a non-home based environment it is very common for people to skip meals, eat lunch while working, or eat on the run. These situations can wreak havoc on your digestive system and sabotage your work day. Gastroenterologists, specialists of digestive disorders, are in great demand these days. Watch any television show and you’re sure to come across commercials that are advertising pharmaceuticals for stomach ailments. When you work from home you don’t have someone breathing down your neck forcing you to get your work done at all costs. You can take a break from your work and have a nice leisurely breakfast or lunch on your patio or anywhere you choose.
There is a stigma attached to stress, but the truth is it can be a good thing. When it’s positive, stress can help you become more efficient and give you the burst of energy you need to perform a task. As long as the stress is short-lived and manageable you’re fine. The problem in the non-home workplace is that controlling your stress is difficult. Do you really have time to stretch and go for a walk? You probably don’t if you’re working for someone else. Couple this with having to balance family life and it’s easy to understand how heart disease and stroke are killing office workers every year.
In short, if you are working for someone else, your home is probably your refuge from the insanity that often occurs at your workplace. Just imagine the peace of mind and well-being you could experience if that refuge became your office.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Shattering the Glass Ceiling The Financial Benefits of Operating a HomeBased Business
If you are presently working for someone else, there is a good chance that you are looking for opportunities to increase your earning potential. Operating a business from home is an option you should consider. You are more in control of your destiny and in effect, the sky becomes your only limit of what you can earn. The following are just some of the many financial benefits you can expect when you decide to operate a home-based business.
Make More Money
When you work for someone else, they determine what you are worth. While it is possible to garner an impressive salary working for someone else, it usually comes at a cost. Climbing the corporate ladder often means many years of hard work, long hours, time away from your family and friends, and deterioration of your health. There’s no wonder that many executives are divorced, in bad health, and burned out! If you don’t have your eyes set on the corporate glass ceiling, key moments of the year for you are overtime, annual performance appraisals, and if you’re lucky holiday bonuses. These are the times when employees typically have the potential to increase their earnings. When you work from home your pay scale is no longer dictated by market trends for your occupation or how well your boss thinks you’re performing your job, but according to the level of effort you are willing to provide.
Regardless of the size of your income, if you work for someone else, there’s a good chance that your income shrinks when you file your taxes. In the eyes of the Internal Revenue Service, brick and mortar businesses and those that are run from home are deserving of some of the same tax benefits. Deductions are your friend when you run a home-based business. Just about anything that is associated with running your business may be deducted. Deductible items generally include any equipment and/or tools necessary for you to operate your business. You can also deduct certain expenses, which may include utilities, insurance, maintenance, business-associated travel and meals, and Internet service
Lower Transportation Costs
The soar in the cost of gasoline experienced earlier this year had many people considering making lifestyle changes to lower their transportation costs. Even when travel is part of their business, home-based business owners can expect to spend half as much for transportation as those individuals who work for someone else. The main reason for the cost disparity is that individuals who work from home travel less and don’t have to pay toll charges, parking, and public transportation fees on a weekly basis.
You can also expect your automobile insurance to go down when you operate a home-based business. One of the factors that insurance companies use to estimate the cost of automobile insurance is your daily commute. When you work from home and your travel time is minimal, your insurance company assumes that your risk of getting involved in an auto accident is less.
Clothes
In many work industries, wearing professional clothing is required. Dressing for success is also an excepted norm in many occupations because doing so is usually tied to climbing the corporate ladder and eventually making more money. In addition to paying a higher dollar for their clothes, workers in these industries also spend a hefty amount each month to have their clothes professionally cleaned. Since home-based business owners work at home, they don’t require an elaborate wardrobe. If they don’t have clients visiting their home office, individuals who work from home can do so in their pajamas.
Family
If you are a parent or guardian, working from home can cut your costs associated with taking care of your children. Nowadays, daycare costs can run you as much as the monthly payment for a new car. When you work from home and you have school-aged children, you can take the time off from your work schedule to pick up and take care of your children yourself without any extra costs.
The financial benefits associated with running a home-based business are significant and can change your lifestyle in a big way, and in a short amount of time. Of course, nothing worth having in this world is free. You will have to put forth some effort to enjoy the plentiful benefits, but you do so at your discretion instead of someone else’s.
Make More Money
When you work for someone else, they determine what you are worth. While it is possible to garner an impressive salary working for someone else, it usually comes at a cost. Climbing the corporate ladder often means many years of hard work, long hours, time away from your family and friends, and deterioration of your health. There’s no wonder that many executives are divorced, in bad health, and burned out! If you don’t have your eyes set on the corporate glass ceiling, key moments of the year for you are overtime, annual performance appraisals, and if you’re lucky holiday bonuses. These are the times when employees typically have the potential to increase their earnings. When you work from home your pay scale is no longer dictated by market trends for your occupation or how well your boss thinks you’re performing your job, but according to the level of effort you are willing to provide.
Regardless of the size of your income, if you work for someone else, there’s a good chance that your income shrinks when you file your taxes. In the eyes of the Internal Revenue Service, brick and mortar businesses and those that are run from home are deserving of some of the same tax benefits. Deductions are your friend when you run a home-based business. Just about anything that is associated with running your business may be deducted. Deductible items generally include any equipment and/or tools necessary for you to operate your business. You can also deduct certain expenses, which may include utilities, insurance, maintenance, business-associated travel and meals, and Internet service
Lower Transportation Costs
The soar in the cost of gasoline experienced earlier this year had many people considering making lifestyle changes to lower their transportation costs. Even when travel is part of their business, home-based business owners can expect to spend half as much for transportation as those individuals who work for someone else. The main reason for the cost disparity is that individuals who work from home travel less and don’t have to pay toll charges, parking, and public transportation fees on a weekly basis.
You can also expect your automobile insurance to go down when you operate a home-based business. One of the factors that insurance companies use to estimate the cost of automobile insurance is your daily commute. When you work from home and your travel time is minimal, your insurance company assumes that your risk of getting involved in an auto accident is less.
Clothes
In many work industries, wearing professional clothing is required. Dressing for success is also an excepted norm in many occupations because doing so is usually tied to climbing the corporate ladder and eventually making more money. In addition to paying a higher dollar for their clothes, workers in these industries also spend a hefty amount each month to have their clothes professionally cleaned. Since home-based business owners work at home, they don’t require an elaborate wardrobe. If they don’t have clients visiting their home office, individuals who work from home can do so in their pajamas.
Family
If you are a parent or guardian, working from home can cut your costs associated with taking care of your children. Nowadays, daycare costs can run you as much as the monthly payment for a new car. When you work from home and you have school-aged children, you can take the time off from your work schedule to pick up and take care of your children yourself without any extra costs.
The financial benefits associated with running a home-based business are significant and can change your lifestyle in a big way, and in a short amount of time. Of course, nothing worth having in this world is free. You will have to put forth some effort to enjoy the plentiful benefits, but you do so at your discretion instead of someone else’s.
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