4 Reasons To Give Yourself A Work From Home Goal This Year

New year, new job? It’s totally possible. In fact, January is the best time to put yourself out there professionally. You see, companies receive their new hire budgets in January. And that’s when hiring managers and recruiters start getting to work 

Although the new year starts out a bit slowly thanks to the holidays, hiring quickly picks up. So, while many of us choose personal resolutions to ring in the new year, it’s also a great idea to make a professional goal too. And, if you’ve been contemplating a career change that involves ditching your commute, this is your year to make it happen.

1. Work From Home Is On The Rise 

Yes, IBM recently made headlines by calling their remote workers back into the office. But this does not indicate an overall decline in remote work. In fact, remote work is on the rise — a trend that shows no signs of slowing. 

A recent study finds that approximately 50% of the workforce will soon be remote. And, you could be part part of this group, you just have to make the determination that, one, you want to work from home and, two, you have what it takes to work remotely. 

2. Working Remotely Makes You Happier 

Self-improvement is often the theme in the new year. “How can I be happier,” is a question frequently raised as we seek a fresh start.

The good news is you don’t have to look very far — you can find happiness in the way you work.

A recent study found that nearly three-fourths of working adults were unhappy in their careers. Those same workers were actively seeking new employment. 

Remote work, on the other hand, tends to create happy workers. 

So, if you’ve been struggling with work satisfaction and overall happiness, now’s the perfect time to launch a remote job search.

3. You Save Money Without The Commute

Getting to work is expensive. 

The average commute to work is 16 miles, each way, in the U.S. That means we log 32 miles a day, 160 miles a week, and a whopping 8,000 miles each year just to get back and forth to work. 

Crazy, right? 

Given the price of gas, at roughly $2.50 a gallon, those 8,000 miles can hit hard in the bank account. 

When you hang up your car keys in favor of telecommuting, you instantly save money. Plus, car maintenance costs go way down and your insurance may reward you with lower rates for driving your vehicle less. 

The bottom line, telecommuting saves you money every day you don’t have to drive to work! Give yourself a work from home goal this year and save money when you reach it.

4. You Get Some Time Back 

We’re busy. It’s almost a badge of honor to fill your calendar with appointments, to-dos, events, and plans. No wonder we all feel so strapped for time! And, unfortunately, no matter how rich you are, you cannot buy more time. In the end, there are only 24 hours in a day to get everything done. 

While you won’t add more hours to a day with remote work, you will save time without a commute. 

Think about this: The average commute to work in the U.S. takes 26 minutes — one way. That’s 52 minutes every day spent behind the wheel. It ends up coming out to a little over 208 hours annually on average just to get to and from work. 

Imagine if you park your car and skip the commute — what would you do with that extra time? 

Maybe you’d get your kids off to school in the morning. Perhaps you’d sleep in or start exercising more. Honestly, you can do whatever you want, it’s your time! 

So, go ahead and give yourself a work from home goal this year, and claim some extra time for Y-O-U. 

How To Reach Your Work From Home Goals

It’s one thing to want to work from home. It’s another entirely to give yourself a work from home goal. Once the dream of remote work becomes a concrete goal it instantly becomes more attainable. And, if you write it down the likelihood of reaching it goes up by a whopping 40%! 

So, what are you waiting for? Stop thinking to yourself, “Man, I’d love to work from home,” and instead make a real goal that you can actually go after. 

My favorite way to set goals? I use the S.M.A.R.T. system. 

What Are S.M.A.R.T Goals? 

SMART is a popular system to help you set and achieve realistic goals. 

It stands for: 

• Specific 
• Measurable 
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Timely

If you’re new to goal setting or feel like you set goals but never get ahead, SMART goals are a game changer. 

Let’s look at each of the components individually: 

Specific 

Goals should be narrowly focused. When you have a super broad goal, it becomes hard to achieve. For example, a general “I want to work from home goal” is too expansive. Instead, think about what you want to gain and why it’s important to you. 

A specific work from home goal might be, “I want to work from home full-time as a sales representative for a well-known tech company.” 

Don’t be afraid of being too specific. Remember, goals are more easily reached when they’re concise! 

Measurable 

We lose motivation when we don’t see progress. That’s why it’s helpful to set goals that are measurable. For example, let’s say you want to quit your office job in favor of freelancing. To get there, you need to replace your salary with freelance wages. Your goal may be: 

Earn at least $4,000 a month freelancing so I can replace my day job. 

Because you have a measurable number — $4,000 a month — you can gauge your progress along the way. As you see your earnings increase month after month, it gives you motivation to push onto the next month. Until, finally, you reach your end goal. 

Attainable 

It’s pretty self-defeating to set a goal that you’re never going to reach in the first place. Now, this doesn’t mean you should go easy on yourself with a simple goal. 

Goals should be challenging, but they also need to be attainable. 

Realistic 

Don’t forget to make your goals realistic. Now this is where you probably wonder, “How do I know if a goal is realistic or not?” 

Good question. A great way to figure that out is to decide whether your goal is something you’re actually willing to work for. 

Let’s say you want to become a remote web developer. But, after some research, you learn that it takes a good deal of schooling and requires practical experience before you can actually get hired. In all, you’ll end up having to take at least a year before you’re ready to even consider web developer jobs. 

If you can’t or won’t put in the effort to achieve a goal, it’s unrealistic. Forget it and come up with a goal that you can actually go after. 

Timely 

A deadline is a great way to get yourself motivated. And this holds true for goals too. When you give yourself a time limit, suddenly there’s a sense of urgency to complete it. 

So, instead of an open-ended goal of “I want to work from home,” consider a time specific goal of “I want to work from home within six months.” 

You’ll find when a goal is time sensitive, you’ll figure out a way to get it done no matter what. 

Give Yourself A Work From Home Goal 

Ready to finally go after your work from home goal this year? That’s the spirit! I’ve created a free worksheet to help you put your goal into words. Use it to your advantage. Remember, you’re more than 40% more likely to reach a goal just by writing it down. 

So, go ahead and snag your free copy by signing up to my newsletter below. You’ve got this! 

Happily, 

Ashlee 

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