How Working From Home Changed My Life (And How You Can Do It Too!)
Years ago, I never thought I’d be working from home, setting my own schedule, and earning more than I ever did in a traditional job. Like many people, I thought working from home was just a dream, something just for a lucky few or those in specific industries (like computers). But today, I can say…
Years ago, I never thought I’d be working from home, setting my own schedule, and earning more than I ever did in a traditional job.
Like many people, I thought working from home was just a dream, something just for a lucky few or those in specific industries (like computers).
But today, I can say that working from home has completely changed my life.
Before I became a full-time blogger and online business owner, I worked a normal 8-to-5 job. While I was grateful for the stable income, I felt trapped in a schedule that didn’t allow for any flexibility. I was always tired from commuting, had little time for hobbies, and felt like I was always waiting for the weekend (and I absolutely dreaded Sunday nights due to working the next day).
Fast forward to today, and I now work from home full-time, set my own hours, and have created multiple streams of income. Working from home has not only allowed me to reach financial freedom but has also given me more time to spend with family, to travel, and enjoy life.
If you’ve ever thought about working from home, I want to share with you the biggest reasons I love it and how you can start your own online job or business too.
Below are the top reasons I love working at home.
Okay, so not all work-from-home jobs will give you complete flexibility, but many will!
One of the biggest reasons I love working from home is the freedom to set my own schedule. Unlike a traditional job where I had to be at my desk at a specific time every day, working from home allows me to work when I’m most productive.
Some days, I start working early in the morning, while other days, I might take the morning off and work in the afternoon, or I may work late at night. If I want to take a break in the middle of the day for a walk, a workout, or even a long lunch with family, I can do that – without asking for permission.
Having control over my schedule also means I can adjust my work hours based on my energy levels. Some people are most productive in the morning, while others do their best work at night. For me, it varies.
Before I worked from home, I tended to feel like I didn’t have enough time for the things that mattered most – spending time with family, traveling, or even just enjoying simple moments at home.
Now, working from home has allowed me to be more present for my family.
I don’t have to miss important milestones or feel guilty about not spending enough time with loved ones. Whether it’s having breakfast together, taking midday breaks to play with my child, or being home in the evenings without rushing through dinner, I finally feel like I have a work-life balance that makes sense. (Of course, at times I feel like I have no work-life balance because it can be hard to separate work and life when you work from home, but that’s not the focus of this blog post, because in general, I do feel like the balance is better for me).
Working from home has also given me more time for personal hobbies and self-care. I no longer feel like my entire day is dictated by work. Instead, I can spend time being outdoors, traveling, or learning new skills – things I never had time for when I worked in a traditional office job. For example, when the weather is great, I will almost always choose to be outside (usually hiking, biking, or on our boat), instead of working. And then I save work for later – simply because I can just move around my workday!
This is definitely one of my favorite things about working from home – no commute!
Commuting was one of my least favorite parts of my old job. Sitting in traffic, dealing with bad weather, and wasting hours each week just getting to and from work was exhausting.
I still remember the one time I sat in such bad traffic getting to work – it took me 3 hours (I literally was on the highway from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.) to go about 15 miles because of morning traffic (and maybe some construction? I can’t remember exactly why it was so awful that day).
My normal commute was about 30 minutes each way, which meant I spent around 1 hour driving each day and 9 hours at work – for a total of 10 hours a day for 5 days a week. While I get that this is completely normal, I just knew it wasn’t for me.
By working from home, I’ve completely eliminated my commute, which has saved me time, money, and stress. Instead of spending time stuck in traffic, I can use that time for things that actually matter to me, whether it’s working on my business, going for a hike, or simply enjoying a slower morning.
The financial savings from eliminating a commute are also significant. Gas, car maintenance (I still have a car, but I put a lot less miles on it!), work attire, and eating out for lunch all add up, and I’ve saved thousands of dollars per year by working from home.
One of the biggest downsides of a traditional job is that your income is limited.
Even with promotions and raises, there’s usually a limit to how much you can earn. But when you work from home – whether through a business or freelancing, you have the opportunity to increase your income in ways that wouldn’t be possible in a typical job.
Blogging started as a side hustle but eventually grew into a multi-million-dollar business. Unlike a job where I had to wait for a raise, I was able to scale my income by adding multiple income streams, such as affiliate marketing, selling digital products, sponsored posts, and ad revenue.
I never thought that I would be making the amount of money that I am making today. It never even crossed my mind. But, now I know that it is possible, and I’ve been doing it for about a decade.
Another amazing thing about working from home is that you’re not actually tied to one place.
I’ve worked while traveling across the U.S. in an RV (I lived in an RV for about 5 years full-time), living on a sailboat (I lived on a sailboat for about 5 years full-time as well), and even spending extended time in different locations.
Whether you want to work from your local coffee shop, move to a lower-cost-of-living area, or travel full-time, working from home gives you that freedom.
Recommended reading: The Digital Nomad Lifestyle – A Day In The Life
Okay, so after reading the above, you may be interested in working from home as well. Below are some of my favorite work-from-home jobs that you can start today.
Blogging is one of my favorite ways to earn money from home. It allows you to create content, build an audience, and monetize through ads, affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and digital products.
While blogging takes time to grow, it can become an amazing long-term income source. I have personally earned more than $5,000,000 over the years from the blog you are reading right now (Making Sense of Cents).
You can write about many different topics, which I think is great. You can write about personal finance, travel, lifestyle, food, family, and so much more.
You can learn how to start a blog in my free How To Start A Blog Course. In this free course, I show you how to create a blog, from the technical side to earning your first income and attracting readers. Over 80,000 people have taken it!
Recommended reading: How I Grew A $5 Million Blog
Freelance writing is one of the best ways to start making money from home.
Businesses, websites, entrepreneurs, and more need content for blogs, social media, emails, and websites, and they pay for high-quality writing.
You don’t need a journalism degree to start (in fact, most freelance writers do not have this degree). Many successful freelance writers start with no experience by building a portfolio and finding clients on job platforms.
New freelance writers can earn anywhere from $50 to $200 per article, with some experienced writers making over $1,000 per article.
I have been a freelance writer for years, and I definitely never thought that I would become a paid writer one day.
Recommended reading: 14 Places To Find Freelance Writing Jobs – (Start With No Experience!)
Printables are digital products like planners, budgeting worksheets, wall art, coloring pages, invitations, and calendars that people can download and print.
I have bought many, many printables over the years (more than ever now that I have a child), and I don’t see this going away anytime soon.
Once you create a printable, you can sell it over and over again, making it a great semi-passive income source.
Many Etsy sellers earn thousands of dollars per month selling printables, and some scale their business to six figures per year.
Recommended reading: How I Made $6,161 in Just 4 Months With a New Etsy Printables Shop
If you have an eye for detail and enjoy correcting grammar mistakes, proofreading is a great work-from-home job.
Many businesses, authors, and bloggers hire proofreaders to check their content before publishing.
I have a proofreader for my business and she is a lifesaver. It’s a very much-needed profession!
Recommended reading: 20 Best Online Proofreading Jobs For Beginners (Earn $40,000+ A Year)
If you have strong organizational skills and are good with numbers, online bookkeeping is a great work-from-home job. Many small businesses and entrepreneurs need help managing their finances but don’t want (or need) to hire a full-time accountant.
That’s where virtual bookkeepers come in.
Bookkeeping is a great option because you don’t need an accounting degree to get started. Many bookkeeping courses teach you how to use software like QuickBooks and Xero so you can start working with clients.
Recommended reading: How To Become an Online Bookkeeper
Virtual assistants help businesses and entrepreneurs with a wide variety of tasks, from email management to social media scheduling. This is one of the best work-from-home jobs because there are so many different services you can sell.
Some tasks that virtual assistants handle include managing emails and calendars, scheduling social media posts, customer service support, data entry, and even graphic design. The flexibility of this job makes it a great fit for stay-at-home parents, travelers, or anyone looking for a remote side hustle.
I was a virtual assistant for several years and I really enjoyed the job. I mainly managed email inboxes and social media, but there are so many other things you can do as a virtual assistant.
Now, I have a virtual assistant and she is a lifesaver. I have no idea what I’d do without her. She does many different things for me – such as managing my email inbox (I still answer my own emails, but she manages the support inbox), writing articles, creating graphics (she creates a ton of graphics for me each week), managing my social media accounts, and so much more).
Recommended reading: Best Ways To Find Virtual Assistant Jobs
If you love designing or creating unique products, print-on-demand is a great way to make money online.
With print-on-demand, you can sell custom-designed products like T-shirts, mugs, phone cases, tote bags, greeting cards, and more without keeping inventory or handling shipping.
Print-on-demand works by allowing you to upload designs to a platform. When a customer places an order, a third-party company prints and ships the product for you, so this means you don’t need to invest in inventory (or store anything at your house!).
Recommended reading: How I Make $7,500 Monthly Selling Print-On-Demand Gifts
I hope you enjoyed my article on why I love working from home and how you can make it a reality for yourself too.
Working from home has changed my life in so many ways, and I truly believe it can change yours too. If you want more freedom, flexibility, and financial security, now is the perfect time to work at home.
There are so many work-from-home jobs available, whether you want to start a blog, freelance, sell printables, work as a virtual assistant, or something else.
Do you want to work from home? What are the positives for you?
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