10 Common Work From Home Struggles Every Marketer Faces
Author’s Note: As part of The Good Lemon’s 10-year anniversary celebration, we’re sharing what we’ve learned and laughed through over the last decade. Each installment tackles 10 lessons, truths, or tips that have shaped how we work and how we help clients thrive. In our last blog, 10 Must-Do Prep Tasks Before Creating Your Marketing Budget, we explored ways to plan smarter and set your team up for success. This time, we’re pulling back the curtain on something many of us know too well: the everyday realities of working from home.
WFH life has plenty of perks: sweatpants as professional attire, the ability to make lunch in your own kitchen, and you can’t beat the commute.
But anyone in communications or marketing knows the struggles are just as real. Tight deadlines, creative blocks, and client calls don’t exactly pause just because your office is at home. Since this month often brings a fresh wave of back-to-it energy (and back-to-school chaos), it felt like the perfect time to share 10 work-from-home struggles every marketing pro can relate to.
1. The Bed Calling Your Name
It’s right there. Cozy, inviting, whispering, “just a quick nap.” Staying disciplined when your office is only steps away from your bed is an everyday test of willpower. Some days, getting out of bed feels like the hardest part—especially on gray mornings when “just five more minutes” turns into working half the day in pajamas.
And let’s be honest: we’ve all joined at least one meeting still wrapped in a blanket.
2. Roommates, Partners, or Pets (a.k.a. Your “Co-workers”)
From your partner asking, “Do you want lunch?” to your dog staring with those walk-me eyes or a cat plopping onto your keyboard mid-email, working from home means you’re never short on interruptions.
The tough part? Deciding whether to give in to the distraction (because they’re cute) or fight for your focus. Either way, it’s a battle.
3. Internet Outages
Few things induce more panic than your Wi-Fi cutting out right as you’re about to present to a client. Bonus points if you find yourself frantically hotspotting from your phone while whispering, “Please don’t drop, please don’t drop!”
It’s almost always fine when you’re scrolling TikTok, but the second you need it for work? Gone.
4. Tech Glitches and Upgrades
If it’s not the Wi-Fi cutting out, it’s the tech itself. Glitchy webcams, laptops that sound like jet engines, or robotic audio that makes you sound like a sci-fi villain always seem to show up at the worst time. And when you’re working from home, “tech support” usually means unplugging it, plugging it back in, and crossing your fingers.
Sometimes all you can do is laugh, switch to audio-only, and hope Slack keeps you going until an upgrade saves the day.
5. The Camera-On Scramble
Suddenly, that pile of laundry in the corner feels like it’s the star of the show. Working from home has made us all interior designers by necessity, constantly curating the one clean, professional-looking corner of our space.
And for the record, Zoom’s blur background was invented for exactly this reason.
6. Chores That Won’t Wait
And speaking of laundry... When your home is your office, the chores around you never really disappear. The dishes in the sink, the laundry you could fold on your lunch break, the package waiting at the door — it all competes for attention during the workday.
At first, multitasking feels efficient, until you realize you spent your “break” vacuuming, and your brain never really rested. Don’t worry: The chores will be there when you log off for the day (sadly).
7. Loneliness and the Zoom Blues
Remote work can feel isolating, and sometimes your environment is either too quiet or too loud to focus. You miss the simple work office stuff, like impromptu coffee chats, asking a coworker a quick question without scheduling a call, or just hearing someone else typing nearby.
For marketers, this lack of casual interaction can be especially tough. Brainstorming campaigns, swapping ideas, or even just getting a quick gut check on copy isn’t the same when every conversation requires a calendar invite or waiting for a response on Slack. The creative energy that comes from being in the same room can be hard to replicate over Zoom.
8. Work-Life Boundaries Getting Blurry
Without the physical moment of leaving the office, it’s easy to let the lines between professional and personal time disappear. Back-to-school season makes this even harder, with drop-offs, pick-ups, and homework crammed into the workday.
One minute you’re closing your laptop, the next you’re answering “just one more” email at 9:30 p.m.
9. Overworking Since the Office Is Always Right There
That blurred line? It often leads straight to overworking. When your office is only a few steps away, it’s tempting or sometimes even expected to always be “on.” You tell yourself you’ll just check one email, and suddenly it’s midnight and you have 15 tabs open.
Friends often say, “You’re so lucky to work from home!” And yes, it has its perks. But it also makes it all too easy to let work bleed into every part of your day.
10. Family Chaos … Especially Kids at Home
The ultimate WFH curveball: parenting while working. From mid-meeting cameos to sudden snack demands, balancing family needs with professional ones is an art form that many are still trying to master.
Every parent who’s muted themselves during a tantrum or juggled spelling homework while writing emails deserves a medal.
The Bottom Line
Working from home has its perks, but it is not all cozy vibes and flexible schedules. The distractions, tech struggles, and blurred lines between personal and professional life are challenges we have all faced.
The good news is that with a little humor and some intentional boundary-setting, the struggles are survivable. They also spark real stories, which help marketers create content grounded in the very challenges we face.
If you’ve nodded along to more than a few of these, trust me, you’re not alone. Sharing experiences like these is part of what keeps our community connected. We would love to hear your most relatable WFH struggle in the comments. And stay tuned for our next “10” series blog, 10 Questions We Always Get Asked.