Things are changing around the office at Countryside. Our managing editor and her husband bought a cozy little homestead near Eau Claire, and she will be working from home a great deal of the time from now on. While some people dream of working from home, most of us who have done so for any length of time know that the concept is over-romanticized. Sure, there are benefits, but like any job, there are also drawbacks.

When your office is in your home, you become everyone’s “go-to” person. When there’s a problem, you get the call, especially if it is a family problem. Since you’re the one “at home,” everyone believes you have more time. Believe me when I tell you that nothing could be further from the truth. Working at home requires exceptional time managament, organizational, and communication skills. If you think you can work from home productively just sitting in your basement blogging, think again.

If you work from home, and want to be effective (translation: get paid), there are seven things you need to do:

1. Get out of bed. Seriously, keep regular hours. If you don’t respect your time, neither will anyone else.
2. Have a separate office area. Even if you have to set up shop in the dining room, have an area that is just for your office materials, including pens and sticky notes.
3. Take regular breaks. This is one of the advantages of working from home. You can go out for a walk or do a quick ten-minute workout without embarrassing yourself in front of anyone.
4. Only take business-related calls during your working hours. It’s hard not to answer the phone when someone wants to chat, but if you wouldn’t take the call at an employer’s office, then you shouldn’t take it during your working hours.
5. Wear comfortable, but professional clothes when you work. While you may not need a suit and tie, don’t spend the day in your pajamas. This is especially true if you work in a communication field. Laying around in your sweats won’t help to stimulate your creative juices.
6. Have a dedicated phone line, and speak professionally when you make business calls.
7. Shower regularly. No kidding. Just because you’re not out in public, doesn’t mean you can allow yourself to fester.

Working at home is no walk in the park. The hours are long, the mental effort high, and no matter what you may have heard, the chances you are going to get rich are almost zero. So, think hard and long before you decide to go the work-at-home route.