I still find myself waking up in a panic thinking I am running late to an office meeting or a site visit.

After a couple of seconds, reality slaps me in the face and says, “Hello, you’re an entrepreneur now and can work home or anywhere around the world.”

Yes, it’s nice to sleep in as late as I want, but it’s easy to fall into a lazy trap and lounge about all day.

What am I talking about? I am talking about how awesome it is to work from home and why you should think about doing it as well?

How does working from home without having to pay for gas or childcare sound?

How to Transition to Working From Home

Before quitting my job in the cubical farm, I did flexible scheduling for a year. I worked from home on Fridays.

It was good at first until it wasn’t. At least I felt relaxed being in my pajamas, typing away.

Combining work and travel can be a win-win for everyone, for you, and you’re boss.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a win-win for my last job as they didn’t fully embrace working remotely as the private sector does. That doesn’t mean it can’t be a win-win for you.

Company and department policies limited remote work which resulted in high performing employees leaving their positions for work from home jobs, more time with the family, and less stress from daily commutes.

Instead of working 40 hours a week, I was averaging 45-50 hours a week. When Thursday would come around, my thought was, “since I am working from home on Friday, I can just stay up late to work and then do a half-day.”

Half days were rare, but I found myself working more hours on Thursdays and Fridays. Next, I switched to working 10-hour shifts 4 days a week with Fridays off.

My Fridays were spent at doctor’s appointments, physical therapy and catching up on sleep. I still found myself working late on Thursdays.

Entrepreneurship Spirit

Have you thought about starting your own business?

I had thought about starting my own business for 10 years and went back and forth on what I wanted to do. On a trip to Antigua, I say next to a lady who was an entrepreneur.

She said the best advice her day gave her what that the best thing she could do was be her own boss. That resonated with me.

A couple of years later, I would attend Dave Ramsey’s EntreLeadership Summit. If you are interested in being your boss, I highly recommend attending this summit.

It’s a safe place to network with people like you and get the best tips and practices from veterans who are successfully killing it running their small businesses.

Plus you get a couple of free books to take home to further get geeked out on becoming an entrepreneur.

By the end of the week, I was ready to make the transition from working in an office to working from home.

After meeting with a mentor and presenting my business plan, she looked at it and then looked at me and said, “You don’t need my advice, you know what you want to do, now go do it.”

That business plan on paper had been lingering in my head for the last 10 years.

If you’re unsure what you want to do, draft a business plan.

Don’t Be Scared to Take the Plunge

When I left my job, I knew it was the right time and the right decision.

My departure wasn’t sudden. I decided two years ago that I was going to leave my job and told my boss verbally.

As it got closer to my departure, I asked myself again if I was sure this is what I wanted to do. The unknown can be scary, but then

I remembered that entrepreneurial conversation years back that still resonated with me.

The conversation with the entrepreneur on the plane ride to Antigua and interactions with business owners from the EntreLeadership Summit reappeared.

Heck, if they can do it, I can do it, right?

I gave my official six-month notice to allow enough time to hire my replacement and train the person in.

My last day was a good one. I left with a smile on my face excited, an extra hop in my step and optimistic about the future.

The next day, after sleeping in, I woke up feeling refreshed and motivated for the next chapter of my life.

I have no regrets about my well thought out decision. Leaving your job or switching to working from home can allow you to focus more time and effort on personal growth, hobbies, and family.

How to Transition to Working From Home

To aid in the transition from the cubical farm to working from home or work from anywhere as a digital nomad, have enough saved to cover your expenses until you get settled.

Money-saving ideas like traveling less (perhaps not to Europe, but explore your state or neighboring states) and cooking at home more. These examples can stretch your savings out longer.

It helps to be almost debt-free and working very hard to get rid of that ball and chain of being a “slave to the lender” as Dave Ramsey puts it.

There were times that I wanted to just leave my job and start my dream job unprepared. I advise not doing that unless you have a solid financial plan to meet your basic needs and pay your bills.

There is plenty of work from home jobs that you can find on the internet or visit my Remote Work Pinterest board on to find working from home and digital nomad ideas.

Before taking the work from home plunge, do a test run to see if working remotely is right for you.

I found that when I wasn’t in the office, I was more creative and better at managing my time and making a routine for self-care while traveling.

Digital nomads can work anywhere from an airport lounge, on a train, plane, in a coffee shop, at a beach while watching the sunset, and from a hotel room with the windows open, sun shining, and the electronic dance music on full blast during a pool party while watching from above.

Transitioning from working in a cubical farm to becoming a digital nomad working from anywhere around the world is not only good for your health, but allows flexibility for self-care, family, and can save money on gas, childcare, and trips to the doctor’s office due to stress-related illnesses.

Are you thinking about switching to working from home? Is Working Remotely Right for You?

Check out my post to weigh the pros and cons of working from home and get rewarded by giving up the daily commute for personal freedom.

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