I ended up working at home gradually, transitioning from working in our “real” office to working at home little by little. I was forced to “bring the office home” the first year we published our Half Price Camping Guide because I needed to get rid of office interruptions, just for one month.

After that month was over, I realized how much I like working at home and decided to do it as often as I could. Even though our campgrounds must be staffed 24/7, and my husband and I have to inspect properties frequently, there really isn’t much of the bookkeeping you can’t do from home.

I find that the serenity of my own home gives me a calm state of mind. I can be more creative, get more done with fewer interruptions, and I like that the kids can spend their time doing whatever they want, instead of having to sit in the office waiting for us to finish the day. They homeschool, so when their lessons are done, they are free to walk to the video store, visit other homeschooling friends in the neighborhood, catch a movie, or just hang out in their own rooms. We are all more relaxed and productive!

But it didn’t take long for me to realize that I was going to need to update a few things to really “work at home”. My first problem was the internet. This was back in the day when broadband was new. It was also quite expensive, and although it was added right away at the office… I was hesitant to spend the extra money at home.

On the other hand, if I connected to the Internet, I was blocking the phone line. I waited until night to do any online work, working until 10 pm and keeping the phone line free during the day. Really, how productive was that? Wasn’t he just buying me more hours, instead of making my life easier? Depending on your financial situation, go ahead and get the services you need as soon as possible.

I was saving pennies in all the wrong places, losing efficiency, and not really living up to my own claim that this was really “my office.” Take a look at what you need… and get it as soon as you can afford it. Inconvenience and wasted time will not help you succeed.

The next thing I faced was spending too much money on supplies. I needed a lot of printer ink, printing paper, blank postcards: in those days we printed a LOT of it… and since we are twenty miles from a bigger city, I bought everything at Wal-Mart, near my house.

I remembered that our office supply company could deliver to my home just as easily as to my “real” office. I ordered with Reliable, my favorite office supply company, and saved a ton by buying in volume. (Note: Reliable delivers anywhere within 1 day. PLUS you get free cookies when you order $100 or more!) Need I say more? Act like a business and save by buying in bulk whenever you can.

And the other factor that wasn’t working well was my desktop. I was working at an antique rolltop desk in my dining room. It was a nice feeling for a few days… then it became clear that this desk was not going to work. It was not set up for computers, and although the desk was huge, I had no room to move after setting up printers, a fax machine, a scanner, etc. Also, my dining room didn’t look so fancy anymore…

In a few months, I bought an inexpensive computer desk, stretched out comfortably in a rolling computer chair, and moved it all into a back room in the house, now the children’s classroom, office, and laundry room. . It works great, and my dining room is just for eating again.

And my last obstacle was my adult daughter. If you have grown children, you know that they never really grow up. She would call me all day, sometimes to ask for a prescription, sometimes just to chat. I had to lay down the law… 9 am to 5 pm is office hours. “Don’t call me unless someone is bleeding.” Some things are no different at home than in a “real office.”

Those are just some of the first adjustments I had to make to be able to work from home, but I’ve lived and learned, and so will you. I hope this simple checklist helps you take the first steps in establishing your work-at-home lifestyle.

Your Work at Home Coach,

anna pierson