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Distractions. Being able to telecommute successfully is all about distractions. Can you resist them? Avoid them? Learn how to deal with them? Adjust to having them in your face constantly?

Working at home sounds so idyllic and is in fact becoming more of a viable option as businesses move toward reducing overhead and technology improves. The phrase "be careful what you wish for" definitely applies to telecommuting however. There are as many challenges as there are benefits to working at home. Is it right for you? Depends on how you handle . . . you guessed it . . . distractions.

Telecommuting offers the opportunity to change your morning commute from an aggravating drive to a short walk. Dressing for work may mean simply sliding into some fuzzy slippers and a bathrobe (maybe not that in the warm months). The lunchroom offers whatever you decide to stock it with and the coffee is always made exactly the way you like it. There are no restrictions on what kind of decorations or photos you can put on your desk and if you decide to play a game of Solitaire every once in a while, no one is going to look over your shoulders to stop you.

And that is where the issue with the distractions begins. When you telecommute you have a certain level of freedom which is certainly enjoyable but which you need to be able to manage properly. The computer games may beckon, the television may entice you (you always wanted to watch that show that's on in the middle of the day), the dishes or the clothes stare at you as they wait for the wash, and it becomes easy to forget what you are really supposed to be doing what you are getting paid to do.

Then there are the distractions that you will find that you have to manage, regardless of your own will power. Children have an incredible knack for waiting until you get a business call to decide to start arguing with each other or, in the case of babies and toddlers, to have a severe need for a feeding or a diaper change. Telecommuting is certainly a beneficial option when you want to spend more time with your children but if it is going to be right for you and your family they will all need to understand that you are actually working during the day. The same holds true for friends, neighbors, and family who will want to drop by or call and talk, since you "are home all day."

Telecommuting is right for you if you can manage distractions, internally and externally. Tell yourself, and all of those around you, that work hours are just that, hours to be devoted to work, and you will succeed as a telecommuter. You will undoubtedly enjoy it more as well.

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