Periodically, I have fun counting my blessings and writing about all the things that I love and that I think are bonuses to owning and operating a home business. I think it is only fair to point out that there are some downsides to home business ownership too. In addition to the fact that we may work longer hours and, at least in the beginning, make less money that we might at a more traditional job, there also are not coworkers and bosses around to remind us of things we might forget!
Now, I make myself lists and logs and charts and graphs, but it is not the same as having a coworker say something like, “Whatever happened to that project you were working on?” or “Are you going to be able to get those documents to me by Friday?” There is a good side, of course, to not having other people all up in my space and harping at me to get things done, but there is also that downside in that without the occasional reminders and pressure, I might not actually remember! Sometimes, even the most organized and professional of us can all use a little nudging.
So, even if I try to keep pretty functional “to do” lists, I have to admit that work obligations and things do fall through the cracks. I remember that things fell through the cracks as well when I worked the more traditional jobs, but with multiple bodies reminding each other and someone to answer to on a daily or weekly business—it made it a little less likely. Definitely one of the downsides to the home business operations is not having the coworkers to remind and prod us to keep us on track. I still think the advantages and pluses outweigh that little downside, however!