Yes, Even As A Single Mom, I Can Still Work From Home (Here’s How)

By Sandy

I’m about to bust some excuses…

“I would love to have a little more freedom in my schedule, set my own hours, and make more… but I can’t because _________.”  (Insert absolutely valid, but completely over-comable excuse).

I’m going to challenge that thought today.

Before I do though, I want to acknowledge that working from home and designing your own destiny isn’t for everyone.

If you love what you do, where you do it, and when you do it… and you don’t wish to have any more flexibility or freedom… then hey, you’re all set. You can skip this post.

But if you get that sick feeling in your stomach every Sunday night before bed…

And if you feel like a 500 lb weight is attached to your ankle when your alarm goes off Monday morning…

And if you look up at the clock every minute from 4PM until 5PM, just waiting for a socially acceptable hour to dart out of the office…

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That’s how I felt at one point. But to be honest, the feeling wasn’t completely clear.

I loved having a professional career and identity. I loved feeling financially secure. And I loved my co-workers.

But there was something that just wasn’t right about the entire situation.

The job wasn’t challenging enough. The time and location weren’t flexible enough. And the pay was ok, but I could see the ceiling… and it was way too low.

But how could I give up a job… any job with a child… and no other responsible adult to cover bills should something go wrong?

That was my valid, but absolutely over-comable excuse.

Maybe yours is the same. Maybe yours is different. But I bet it’s valid. And I bet it’s also over-comable.

Because… isn’t everything?

I mean… the human species has traveled to the moon. We’ve built an information super highway that lives in a “cloud.” We made a miracle cure-all that stopped the diseases that have plagued us for years… out of mold.

We can figure out how to get out of the rat race. Right?

I think so.

The truth is, there are many (many) options for having a fulfilling and flexible career that perfectly blends into your life. But some take more or less skill, more or less up front investment of time or money, or more or less perseverance.

I’ve tried a few different options, and freelancing has been the easiest and quickest (there are some downsides too, but the easy and quick are certainly upsides).

What is freelancing?

Freelancing is basically putting yourself out there for hire, without committing exclusively to one company.

Kind of like career polygamy.

Here’s why I like this model:

  1. It’s very flexible. Because I have multiple clients at any given time, I’m never forced into taking a job. If someone needs me to be available at a time I can’t? No worries, we’re not a good fit right now and we’ll move on. It won’t affect my income nor my career path.
  2. It’s surprisingly stable. It is true that I never know exactly what I’m going to make each month nor how many hours I’ll work. But I’m ok with that, because I know I’ll at least hit my minimum goals. And I know that if I ever need an income boost, I’ll just push through some extra projects. I never have to ask for a raise, or overtime, or worry about giving up something I want to do because of a work schedule (or risk losing my job). The choice is always mine. If one client is slow that month, another one will come along.
  3. The growth potential is literally infinite. I’m limited in the number of hours I work. But I’m not limited in how many people I can hire to outsource to, or how many products I create, or where this business will eventually take me. There is no glass ceiling. How far I take this isn’t up to anyone except myself.

And the number one reason I enjoy freelancing?

It has allowed me to design my destiny.

As a single mom, I’d never have been able to make the lifestyle choices that I’ve made had I been tied to a traditional job.

Maybe you’re not a single mom, but maybe (probably) you have other obligations that make a big change in lifestyle challenging. I get it. I really do… but here’s the thing… how we spend our days is how we spend our life.

I never want to go back to the sick feeling in my stomach Sunday nights. Or the weight of the world hanging on my ankle at 5AM Monday morning. Or the doom that hits mid afternoon when I realize I’m stuck in a cubicle for another few hours.

If any of this resonates with you, you might want to design your own days a little differently.

The good news? It can be done.

If you want to find out how I got started (and how I got my very first paying gig), check out this free guide. I walk through the steps I took to get going. It’s the easiest, more effective, quickest way I know. Promise.

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