For the most part, working from home is a dream come true. There are a number of perks that come with having a home business. However, it is important to realize that there are also downsides to those perks. If you think that working from home is going to be a dream all the time, you need a little dose of reality. Here are some of the grim realities of working from home:

Sometimes, you aren’t your own boss

It’s nice to have a home business and say that you’re your own boss. But sometimes you’re not. Sometimes your client or customer is your boss. As a freelance writer, I work on deadlines. And sometimes I do work to certain specifications. And occasionally (but not very often!) I have to redo some of it. There are times that I feel like I have 10 bosses instead of just me being my own boss.

Your hours might be at someone else’s mercy

While you can set most of your own hours, sometimes you don’t get to. Sometimes, I have to wake up at 3 a.m. to interview someone in China. Believe me, if that someone was available at some other time, I wouldn’t be attempting coherence at that hour. And, of course, there are times when you have to work longer than you thought to wrap something up on time. When you work from home, there’s no leaving it at the office to finish tomorrow. This happens a lot when distractions at home keep me from finishing in a timely manner.

Sick days and vacations aren’t always sick days and vacations

When you’re working from home, you can’t just call in sick. If you have something that has to be done, you still have to do it. Sometimes, I spend an hour or two while “on vacation” doing a little bit of work. When you’re your own boss, running a home business, you have to be open when others expect you to be.

Even so, I wouldn’t trade working at home for anything. For the most part, I have a great deal of flexibility and enjoy what I do. But I have to admit that it isn’t always chocolate and roses.