Ahhhhh…working from home! In theory, it sounds like a dream come true. In many ways, the idea of working from home is similar to letting your 9-year-old draft the meal plan. You may be pleasantly surprised with what she dreams up or you may be looking at seven days of junk that leaves you queasy. Working from home is only for the true self-starter, who can make responsible decisions even without someone looking over his shoulder.

The pros to a home office are as enticing as they are plentiful. Take for example-the commute or lack thereof. How delightful to replace, what for many can be as much as a two-hour drive in bumper-to-bumper traffic with a leisurely stroll from one room of the house to another. Actually, there are so many pleasant reasons for working from home that it’s really unnecessary to list them. What is important is that you carefully and candidly consider the possible negatives, before making the change.

Over the next few blog entries, we will examine some of the more critical questions you need to consider before you start packing up your desk.

Let’s begin with an old standard: Are you truly a self-starter?

Naturally, we all think we are or at least would like to be; but most people really don’t know the answer to this until putting it to the test. Most of us have worked in office environments with varying degrees of supervision, so it’s difficult to know just how we would behave if there were no one around to observe our work habits.

The best comparison I can think of is a home gym versus a gym membership. Statistically, it’s been proven that people who have to leave their home to exercise invest more time and have a more complete workout than those who use their home equipment. According to experts the reason is quite simple: Once you’ve made the effort to dress, drive across town and join others who are already “in motion,” you feel compelled to justify all that effort with a serious workout.

It’s easy to see the similarities between going to an office building. There is structure, you have to go to some effort to get dressed and drive there and perhaps most importantly when you arrive co-workers are busy at work.

Only you can truthfully respond to this question. Just remember, if you fool yourself into a positive response and then the reality is that find you aren’t as disciplined as you imagined, it could cost you clients, money and eventually your business.

Next time we will talk about distractions and how well you can deal with them.