Because I've been thinking about this a lot lately, today I've got the three best things about working from home.
- The chance to do something you enjoy, and do it your way (in your pajamas if you choose).
- When the weather turns incredibly warm in February you can work outside on the porch.
- The ability to set your own schedule (somewhat) so you can be available for family, join friends for lunch, throw in a load of laundry, or take a walk in the middle of the day if that's what your mind and body need. Go ahead; your boss approves!
And because nothing is perfect, I'm also including the three worst things.
- Many people seem to assume that you can't have a real job, be doing real work, or actually be very busy if you're working from home.
- You never really leave the office. If there are still things to be done at 11:00 pm, it's often hard to let them go until tomorrow.
- You are solely responsible - for being incredibly self-motivated, for the contracts you've signed, for being your own IT department, and for making sure the work gets done.
And because I work from home, I can write this post on a Wednesday afternoon after a walk. Now, back to work!
Being a librarian doesn't really lend itself to working from home - but I often wish it did!
ReplyDeleteThat being self motivated thing would completely do me in - I am a procrastinator to the core
ReplyDeleteI think I would do well working from home. But as Carole says, it's not something that you can really do if you are a librarian.
ReplyDeleteThat's my goal when Doug retires...finding something I can do at home. But...I do have that procrastination gene so who knows!
ReplyDeleteI have always been envious of my friends who worked from home. Sometimes there were busy in the extreme, but always had time to throw in a load of wash or start dinner. I'm not sure I would be as self-motived as is needed, however. The good certainly sounds to outweigh the bad!
ReplyDeleteI do some "work" at home, I guess -- not for my "day job," but for enterprises of various family members. I am way too easily swayed/distracted by just about anything that comes along that ISN'T work, though, to imagine that I could exclusively work from home! I have always admired Rusty's stick-to-itiveness when it comes to that! And yours, too!!
ReplyDeleteEven though many in my office annoy the piss out of me, I would probably miss (a little) the socialization aspect of coming into work each day...but I would sure love the option to work at home if I wanted.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I would do very well working at home. I would find multiple distractions and on the other hand, not know when to call it a night.
ReplyDeleteMy sentiments exactly!
ReplyDeleteI don't think it would be good for me to work from home--I tend to hibernate in winter months, so I would probably never leave my house!
ReplyDeleteAs you say, there are highs and lows of working from home, but when I still worked for pay, I liked working at home most of the time. There were times when reading, knitting, and other things distracted me, but most of the time I loved the freedom it gave me. I do think you have to keep the work and the home stuff separate, or you never get any peace. I'm glad it works so well for you, Bonny. You obviously have the will to do what you need to do when you need to do it!
ReplyDeleteIt's so easy for me to get distracted, but I had to be a grownup and realize that I was going to pay a real price for not focusing on my real job. I learned the hard way early on that when you agree to a deadline, the company you are working for actually wants their reports by the specifieddeadline. I also learned that I don't do my best work at 3 am trying to catch up!
DeleteInteresting post. Glad you categorized the good and the bad. I never worked from home as a nurse. In some ways a blessing, but I hated leaving my family for 12 hours of work. All nestled in their beds , as I headed out into the darkness. It worked for us, but it was an odd life
ReplyDeleteIt's not really possible to work from home as a nurse! I was a medical technologist for 20 years, so I understand the odd hours, weekends, and missed holidays when you work in a hospital. I hated the 11-7 shift, especially on weekends, but was lucky enough to transition into a school library job when I couldn't stand leaving my kids all nestled in their beds. The pay was terrible, but at least I had the same schedule as my sons, even the snow days!
DeleteI used to work from home, and I loved it. Except for when I didn't. You've summed it up perfectly! XO
ReplyDeleteThey are some lovely positives to working from home and know those feelings well, the hard one for me is actually switching of.
ReplyDeleteTrue on all accounts.
ReplyDeleteI never got to work from home full-time, but from what I remember about the odd day here and there, I agree wholeheartedly (here in Atlanta, though, no commute probably adds a big positive). Sara is working from home (when she's not traveling) and not liking it at all. She misses the people interaction. Which for me would show up on both the plus and the minus side ...
ReplyDeleteI think working at home would be ideal! I am disciplined and can focus on tasks. However, my babysitting gig is less than 2 miles away easy peasy and I can sit in someone else's house and relax!! (what do you do for your job?)
ReplyDeleteEvery single thing here is true! Thank you for putting words to this challenging way to live!
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