The idea of working from home sounds like a big dream. However, the fact of the matter is that many people are not aware of what type of dedication is required to work at home successfully. They oftentimes underestimate the responsibility that comes with working from home.

What they see is that they don’t need to fight rush hour traffic (and yes, that is a huge perk that comes with working from home). They also love the idea of being their own boss and not having to answer to anyone else. They love the idea of setting their own hours and working in their pajamas.

Well, here is the thing. Those who make those assumptions about how much fun and easy it would be to work from home are in for a rude awakening once they get there. And these are common assumptions that brand new freelancers make. They think that they can work when they want, and play when they want. The truth is, no. They cannot.

Imagine being loaded with client work. Yes, you are experiencing the luxury of working from your own home. You can work in your own pajamas if you really want to do that (though I choose not to because it does not give you that fresh feeling and I still have to run errands). But, that does not mean you can sleep until noon. In fact, how can you if you are loaded with work?

That is where the biggest mistake lies. Brand new freelancers find out once they start getting really busy with client work, they are going to be working more hours in a day that they had intended. This means getting up early and potentially working quite late into the evening. They will have to work on weekends as well. Sure, they can go on vacation, but there is a good chance they will need to take their work along with them.

They really do underestimate how much work they will have when they make the decision to freelance. Freelancing does not mean lying around and doing nothing. You have to work, and you will be working on days and during hours that you don’t feel like it. But your clients are relying on you to get the work done for them. They have paid you for it. You want to make sure that they are happy. Therefore, you want to deliver your excellent work to them on time. You cannot play around.

After knowing this hard reality, you may decide that freelancing really is not the right fit for you. You can still work from home by finding a work-at-home job through sites such as Rat Race Rebellion. There are plenty of companies that are hiring remote workers for customer services such as Amazon, Apple, or American Express.

You may also find that the shifts you have to take are not ideal. Therefore, you will need to decide on what you want when it comes to working at home. Just know that it does come with sacrifice, and it means you will be living a different lifestyle than what you are used to.