Working from home can give you the freedom to do many of the things that are important to you. If you want to be able to care for an ill or aging parent or spouse, or a child or other relative with special needs, working from home might be a good way to balance working with being available to care for your loved ones. Also, if you are ill or have a disability that might prevent you from working a full time job outside of the home, working from home can make work accessible to you on a schedule that meets your needs and in an environment that is comfortable for you.
If you are starting your own business or looking for a home – based job that will enable you to care for someone else or that will accommodate your needs, the first step in finding the right business or job for you is to become clear about what, exactly, you need. How many hours are you available to work? Is there a specific time of day where it is better for you to work, given the schedule of care that you provide? These and many other questions may come up as you begin to think through what your home – based business or job might look like.
Of course, you also have to think about the work itself. Freelance work is often well suited to any type of schedule. There are many, many skills that you can freelance, and you can work any schedule from a few hours per week to full time. You can make products at home and sell them online, like soaps, jams and jellies, knitted items, or whatever else you enjoy creating. If your caregiving responsibilities require that you be at home most of the time, you may want to forego starting a business where you would have to do much of the work at your clients’ homes, like a lawn care business or a cleaning service.
Working from home can be a great way to give yourself the freedom and flexibility in your schedule that you want so that you can take care of the ones that you love. It can also give you the freedom to work from a place where you are the most comfortable, if you have a disability that makes working outside of the home difficult or impossible.