Do you already work from home, either in your own business or for someone else? There are some special challenges, right? But, aren’t they worth it? I definitely think they are!! After working from home since 1997, I think working outside a traditional office is awesome. What so great about it? Let me tell you!
Managing Home and Family is A LOT less complicated
If you have kids – or maybe grandkids – this is a no-brainer. Here are a few of my favourites for this one…
- You get to be there for them when they get home from school. I always loved this one. I’d take a break, we’d have a snack and talk about their day.
- You have the flexibility and freedom to take your kids to school and pick them up.
- You can volunteer for their school activities. Not one of my favourites, but I could if I wanted to.
- When your kids are sick, there’s no panic about finding someone to look after them or having to call in to work to explain that, yes, your child is sick… again.
- All those PD (Professional Development) days? Christmas break, Spring break, Summer holidays? You’ve got it covered.
- That doctor’s appointment in the middle of the morning? No problem. You can adjust your schedule around that.
Get things done around the house. Start a load of laundry, start prepping supper, get those dishes out of the way. Get these things done while you wait for a call, while your computer and apps update, while you talk on the phone (vacuuming not recommended here…). It’s amazing how easy these things are to do in the little cracks of time you have when you work from home.
Want to take an extended lunch with friends or family? You don’t have to explain it to anyone. Just go.
Your office, your way
How many times have you worked in an office that was just… functional? A plain Jane desk, the chair with coffee and mystery stains on it that had been used by 17 people before you, the coffee maker coated with gunk, plastic plants, curled and torn motivational posters, and a carpet that stuck to your shoes when you walked.
It doesn’t have to be that way when you control your own environment! You may not be able to buy all the latest gadgets and tools or that big fancy desk, but you can make your space comfortable – for you. Music, your style – or not. If it’s too warm you can turn up the air conditioning or open a window, if it’s too cold you can crank up the heat. And you don’t have to worry about anyone else complaining! That first beautiful day in Spring? Go out on your deck or pack up and work on a picnic table in the park.
Don’t feel like working in your office today? No problem. Go set up in the kitchen or the dining room – wherever suits you. Visiting out-of-town but need to get some things done? No problem. You can work from anywhere – who will know if you’re Skyping in from home or your brother’s condo half-way across the country?
Set your own schedule
As long as the work gets done, you have the freedom choose the hours you work. They don’t need to be the same every day, either. You are free to fit your work in and around appointments, lunch dates, school activities, webinars, and whatever else might be on your schedule.
Yes, you will still need to be available for phone calls or meetings, but your time around them is yours to plan.
Need to run errands? Wouldn’t it be great to get out to the store in the middle of day when there aren’t so many people? Or get your hair or nails done when the salon is quiet? How about hitting the gym when you can actually find a treadmill free? You can do that when you work from home! Sure, you may end up working a couple of hours in the evening, but I think it’s a great trade.
Ditch the Commute
Picture it, the first snowfall of the season. The roads are slick, visibility is minimal as the snow falls, cars barrelling along with their windows caked in snow, and everyone has forgotten how to drive. On the flip side, picture that first warm, sunny day of Spring. All the reluctant people, grumpy to be on their way to work on such a lovely day, cutting each other off and running stop signs.
You? You can watch the snow from your window and marvel in its beauty (provided you don’t have to get the kids to school…). You can sit on the deck with your coffee on that Spring morning and check emails.
Even if your commute isn’t that long, I bet you can think of something better to be doing during that time! Think of the stress you’ll avoid!
Think about the savings! Parking, fuel, insurance, repairs. It all adds up.
No getting stuck in traffic worrying about letting your boss know that you’re going to be late. No worrying about being late to pick the kids up from school or the sitter.
Casual… Everyday
You still probably need one or two “business” outfits for meetings or conferences but, for the most part, the clothes you wear in your own office will be the ones you wear in every day life. No need for two separate wardrobes. One pair of good shoes will do if you plan it right. The money you save on dry-cleaning alone is worth the change!
You can work in your pyjamas for all anyone cares – just be careful on video calls! Feel more professional if you dress up a bit? You can do that. Your office, your rules.
No more water cooler gossip
Do you get drawn in to your co-workers conflicts? Don’t you hate that? Have you ever thought about how much time is wasted talking about people behind their backs or catching up on who loves who or who’s not getting that promotion or why nobody likes that new clerk or is the marketing manager’s assistant expecting? Not to mention the mental toll it takes to keep it all straight…
When you walk down the hall and your boss doesn’t say hello? No more wondering if there’s a hidden meaning. Were they not happy with that last report? Are layoffs coming? Were they upset about that last email? You’re off the hook! The stress of trying to decipher co-workers actions and reactions magically disappears. Whew!
Working from home lets you escape the day-to-day drama. It still goes on, but you don’t have to participate. It’s strangely freeing!
Time to Focus
Working from home, in your own office, using your own tools, dressed in comfy clothes, tends to increase your focus. No co-workers stopping by to chat, no phones ringing constantly 3 cubicles away (why on earth don’t they answer it??), no groups of people discussing their weekend plans in the lunch room near your desk. Add a little self-discipline to the quiet and it’s a recipe for amazing productivity. Tasks that can take hours at a traditional office, are done in a fraction of the time when you’re able to focus.
Plus there’s incentive to focus – the sooner you get the task done, the sooner you can move on to something fun!
Save money!
Who doesn’t want to save money? Where do you save working from home? Here are a few things I’ve been able to reduce in our budget:
- Transportation. Parking, fuel, insurance, repairs – without that daily commute these drop drastically!
- Lunches. Even if you bring your lunch almost every day, you still spend on coffee and a muffin, a bag of chips at lunch, a chocolate bar in the afternoon – it all adds up. Working at home, you can make your own lunch and snacks in your own kitchen. Healthier and cheaper – win, win.
- Clothing. You’ll still need a couple of business outfits but for the most part your everyday clothes will work just fine.
- Daycare. If you have kids, you save on daycare. You’re home with your kids when they need you. It’s been a while since I’ve paid for daycare but I remember it was a pretty big chunk of my paycheque…
- Taxes. Working from home expenses can be deducted from your revenue to reduce taxes.
Have I missed any? Probably. I’d love to hear where you save working from home!
Freedom!
The absolute best part of working at home is the sense of freedom. Freedom to come and go as you please. Freedom to get work done. Freedom to be comfortable in your environment. Freedom to work wherever it suits you. Freedom to do your work, your way. Can you feel it?
And, last – but not least, for us pet owners out there? Having your dog or cat or other four-footed family member wandering around while you work is the best stress reliever going. Except, of course, when they keep pestering you to go out or go for a walk. But we love them anyways, right?
A lot of these great benefits come with responsibility, let’s not forget that. The responsibility of self-discipline. You still have to get the work done. You just get the amazing opportunity to choose how and where.
Want to know more about getting things done when you work outside a traditional office? Check out these time management tips.
Check out some of our other posts: