Today’s question is from Kathleen:
I currently work full-time in an office and part-time from home, but I would like to transition into full-time freelance work from home within the next two years. I know there are many of you who have also transitioned to work from home full time… so I’m wondering:
What was the hardest part?
What was the easiest part?
What do you like best about working from home?
What do you miss the most about working in an office?
Do you feel that financially, you come out ahead working from home?
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I’ve been working from home for about 10 months now. Before that, I’d worked in an office for a little less than two years.
As part of my work-at-home agreement with my company, I have to either go to one of the two offices (equally distant from my house) or travel for client-related work at least once a month. So, I usually end up traveling at least one week a month.
Financially, that’s OK with our budget, since my company pays for my mileage to/from the office, my hotel and all my meals when I’m on the road, even if it’s just to the office. I’m also saving a ton of money on dress clothes for work (jeans and a T-shirt/sweater work just fine at home!) and makeup (don’t have to use product every day). Our cable company bill is a bit higher than usual (we bundle our internet, phone and cable together to get the best rate), since I insisted on getting the highest speed they have that’s not business class, but all of that is tax-deductible. We also get tax deductions on heat, electricity, and “rent” of the spare bedroom that serves as my office. It is a little harder on my car, requiring extra oil changes, etc., but since that’s reimbursed, I don’t feel as bad about that. I also save money on food, since I’m not going out to lunch once a week with co-workers–instead, I’m eating what’s already in our fridge/pantry.
The hardest part for me is adjusting during those times when I go back to the office. I have a harder time concentrating and getting anything done because everyone wants to visit with me. Also, when our remote server access program is down, I’m basically dead in the water, as I access our email and files remotely. It’s also really inconvenient when there’s a power outage at your house–one time I had to go into town (we leave 15 miles out in the country) to the local library to be able to access power/internet. Another difficulty is not being in-the-know on the latest of what’s going on in the company–I only know what I find out secondhand.
The easiest part is how much more efficient I am–both with my workload and my personal life. I can throw in a load of laundry before I start working, do another at lunch time, and I’m already two loads more ahead than I would’ve been if I worked in an office. I also feel like I get more done when I’m working, too, since I have fewer outside distractions (no one stopping by my office, etc.).
I like the fact that I don’t have to deal with all the little annoyances of working in an office–no boring chitchat, no office temperature issues (I can keep the temp as warm/cool as I want!), I’ve lost 30 pounds (no lunches with co-workers, after-work drinks or “treats” to discipline myself against), there’s less office politics to deal with and I got a sweet puppy to keep me company.
What I miss most about the working in the office is the camaraderie and the laughter. I make it a point to call the office to answer questions, rather than email (as sometimes, meaning/context can get lost) and did some FaceTime on my iPhone with our summer interns that I oversaw, which all help.
Working from home is great, and I feel so blessed that my company is letting me do so!
One thing I’ll share (my situation is a little different as I actually left the work force) is we are better off financially than when I worked full time outside our home. I contributed 40% of our income but the long hours we both worked contributed to a ton of disorganization at home.
I was also able to eliminate services like our housekeeping and dry cleaning. Eating out stopped but we love to cook and eat at home.
We were working Dave Ramsey’s baby steps when my job was eliminated and had almost finished baby step 3. We were well prepared. Now just 3 years later we’re about to pay off our mortgage. We socked away our former car payment and it’s grown faster than we could have hoped.
I find it distracting to work and be at home but I’m learning to cope with that part of it (I blog and do some free lance work plus manage our investments.) I’m also ADD so I think these are probably my own issues. I see so much that needs to be done and it’s hard to compartmentalize it all.
Good luck with your plans!! I think you’ll find you can go further faster if the home fires are burning brightly!
The hardest part of working from home was to be structured enough to sit behind the desk all day without thinking about all that laundry and what’s for dinner. The best part about working from home is the money I save on commuting costs and work clothes, having time to go to the gym before work without worrying how I would squeeze it in before I have to hit the office, and reduced stress about deadlines. I think I miss the socializing in the office with my coworkers, but I think that makes me much more productive. Finally I feel I definitely come out ahead financially since I have been working from home in just coffee I brew instead of DD.
I work at home as a technical writer. 40 hour a week regular employee with (close to) regular 8-5 hours… they do let me work 7-4 and I usually do :). Before, I worked for almost 4 years at my company’s corporate office, but when I moved, they let me pack up my job with me and bring it to my new home and city 2 hours away. I currently go to corporate maybe 2-3 times a year.
The hardest part for me was right after the move. I’m a naturally extroverted person, so I don’t think anyone expected me to succeed at working from home. In fact, I think my company is surprised. When I moved, it wasn’t as easy to make friends- I had to make an effort. If people move for a desk job, they meet people through their jobs. I met people through going to the gym, joining a run club, I go to church, etc.
The other hard thing is separating life and work. Close the office door at the end of the day, stay out of there! If you have a “day off” (I have a corporate job so yeah, I got Labor Day off), try to leave the house. My husband loves to stay at home, but I drag him out. You do not always save money with eating out, etc, because sometimes you want to go out to eat more often bc you want to leave the house after work :).
The easiest thing is obviously the commute and picking out what to wear, but I do recommend getting dressed- at least shorts and a t-shirt! It gets me in the mood to work. That’s also why I work out in the mornings- I get up, get moving. It forces me to shower and get dressed! Group exercise like fitness classes are great too- if I do a morning exercise class, it’s almost like it mimics a commute, then come home and work :).
And it may not be the case, but you’re not always tied down to working from home even if you work remotely :). Coffee shops are a great idea- even Chic Fil A has free wifi!
My husband works from home, so both of us are home with our 3 kids ages 4, 2 1/2, and 7 months.
Hardest Part: Yes, it’s hard getting work done with kids in your space. I try to get out of the house with the kids during the day time, or my husband meets with people at coffee shops or at their business. Thankfully we have an “office” room so he can close the door on the noise. As other people have said, the lines between “work” and “home” are blurred, especially since he does youth ministry. Sometimes he seems to work from 7am-10pm. However, even when he works all day we still get to see a lot of him. We also have the struggle with people assuming we have lots of free time, so we’re trying to get better about saying “no” to things to create some margin in our lives.
Best/Easiest Part: It’s nice having both parents around with 3 little ones. If I need to take a child to the doctor, it’s easy enough to arrange for my husband to watch the other two while I’m gone. He has a very flexible schedule, and I can help with some things since I’m nearby. On most days we eat 3 meals together as a family. As a mom (often a solitary job) I have another adult to talk to most days. It’s also nice to see my husband’s work first-hand, and meet all the committee members, leaders, parents, and high school students he works with.
What do you miss? I think it is nice to get go home after work and leave your work behind. His work is always here, always a part of our lives. However, I will say that this was not all that uncommon in past generations. Farmers, business owners, laborers, and more often worked and lived with their family in the building or very close to their place of business. What we now call “working from home” was not all that unusual. (And unlike some of the other commenters above, we do not find loneliness to be a problem! )
Financially ahead? Yes, we only have one car, and we don’t use a lot of gas. We’re able to get by on less clothing. I prepare food for the entire family 3 meals a day, so we save on eating out costs. We don’t need to rent an office space, or double up on costs like wi-fi, phone service, utilities, technology, and office supplies. We don’t lose time commuting, or running back and forth to the office for things we need.
No matter what life change you make, give yourself at least 6-12 months to adapt to the change. It takes time, buy you can make it work! Good luck with your transition!
The hardest part for me is trying to be healthy. I find with my job I spend a ton of time just sitting in front of my computer. I admit, I have put on weight and lost muscle this way. I am working on it, but it is a challenge. It is not as much that it is hard to eat healthy when you work from home (I think it is actually in many ways easier, since meals can be quickly prepared at home), but that I find I move very little. In my previous job I stood all day, a little pacing, etc., and I can tell you even that shift in my movement level made a difference in my metabolism and my weight. Find a way to keep active, and watch your health.
I also think that working from home is not for everyone because as others have mentioned it does take a lot of self-discipline in many areas of life. If you are a person who by training and temperament can handle working from home it is a big blessing, but if you find you hate it, don’t feel like a failure or something silly like that. Different strokes for different folks, as they say.
hardest? keeping deadlines without outside pressures and housework when I need to be working or would rather be watching tv. needing to work when my husband and daughter are home and awake; loss of sleep trying to have it all and do it all
easiest? freedom to work all night if I have to because I want to do something at my daughter’s school during the day
best at home? working in jammies, on the laptop in my recliner
miss from an office? camaraderie, conversation, lunches out
financially ahead? money, not a chance, putting my daughter on the bus and getting her off, absolutely worth the loss of every ‘full time job’ penny; when I plan ahead and make all our meals, we save money because we’re not eating out on an exhausted night.
I have been working from home for a few months now and really love it! Yes, sometimes people think “working from home” is not a job, but it is and can pay very well. Some of the pros are that use hardly any gas for my car, do not deal with office politics, and get to set my own schedule. Since my husband works a variety of first, second, and third shift, I can almost always work around his schedule. If you are a hard worker, sometimes people will take advantage of you in the workplace, but working from home, you can set your own pace and not get burned out. My health has dramatically improved since I have been working from home. 🙂
I have a love/hate relationship w/working from home. Working from home saves us the cost of childcare (which is the primary reason I quit my job) and allows me to spend all day with my tot. That has been, by far, the most rewarding portion of my transition. I save on clothing costs, but do miss getting dressed for work. It’s hard for me to sit down and devote myself to working when it’s beautiful out, or my daughter wants to color or do an activity w/me. I also save a lot on food costs b/c I don’t eat out and I’m at home during the day to put meals together. There are some days when I reeaalllyyy feel like I need to talk to another adult (and if I have to listen to the Veggie Tales Silly songs CD one more time I might scream) and that’s probably the hardest part about being home. Overall I’m not making as much as I was outside the house (not by a longshot) but I got to see my daughter take her first steps, breast feed her exclusively for 6 mo, I get to spend extra time with my husband and I get to do things I enjoy like cooking and gardening.
My husband and I are both self employed and work from home. Have a schedule and stick to it. Don’t get distracted by what needs to get done around the house. Have a dedicated phone line, dedicated email and dedicated office space. Have office hours and stick to them. We had to train ourselves early on to have business hours and give ourselves day off. It was hard when we first opened our business because your work ethic says you should keep working, because it’s right there and you haven’t finished it yet, but you need to have a start and end tie like anyone going to an office, etc would. However, it can be nice if you’re taking a day off in the middle of the week or have a deadline or want to get ahead to be able to putter over to the other room and get work done when you want. We do have clients that come by and I’ve been very strict about not having them come outside office hours or call or email them outside office hours. Otherwise, they expect that all the time.
My role is a bit different as I moved to work at home but still for a company, no freelance.
The hardest part is missing my co workers. We IM and see each other occasionally, but the face to face contact is what I miss most, the interaction.
The easiest part is the commute, LOL!
I enjoy the commute, not having to drive in winter weather, getting housework done on my breaks.
I miss my coworkers and also, the decompression time the drive gave me. Now, I come up from a stressful day and am on as “mom” right away.
I am ahead because of the gas savings, but I still require day care.
I love this question! There are a lot of different types of work from home scenarios, so every situation is different, but I can share my experiences.
I had a traditional day job that allowed me to work from home two full days per week. They expected me to keep the same hours that I would actually in the office and be available by phone, e-mail, and for virtual meetings (teleconference and screen share). The biggest challenge there was people assuming that because I worked I had flexibility in the hours I worked. I didn’t! The biggest advantage was the huge time savings of the commute.
I now run my own business from home, and that is a whole different animal!! My number one challenge is forcing myself to STOP working! That’s a good and a bad problem. I do this because I’m working for myself and get out of it what I put into it. Also, I really do love what I do and am constantly brimming with new product and business ideas that I just can’t wait to get started on. Therefore, I have struggled to “go home for the day” so to speak. I’m working on it and have improved some.
I also think people don’t expect you to have work commitments when you work for yourself ,but it’s quite the opposite. I am my only employee, so I have customers, orders, deadlines, etc, and I’m the only one who does them.
The advantage are many with no commute being number one! While I have a lot of commitments, I also have more flexibility, and I can run my business from anywhere. I was able to spend a week at my mom’s house (several states away) while my husband was away without taking any time off work. I just took my business with me and worked there.
I’m with Laura Jane – there is a huge difference between working from home for a company, and working from home freelance/for yourself. I spent almost a year working my full-time job 2 days in the office and 3 days at home. This meant my income was exactly the same as it was fully in the office, but I saved on commute costs and childcare. I did make special arrangements to be able to keep my toddler home with me most days (started right before he turned 1, ended when he was almost 2). The hardest part was feeling like I was never giving 100% of my attention to either my job or my son. Most days it worked well – I scheduled conference calls and meetings during nap times, and did non-phone work in the early morning, scattered throughout the day or in the evenings. I did work that was somewhat flexible, but because most people were working a traditional 8-5, I felt the need to quickly respond to short e-mailed questions (and there were often a lot of those!). I was the Mom at the park on the Blackberry – not because I wanted to, but because I felt it was expected.
The best parts were being able to be home with my son, no commute, and being able to work while laying in bed while pregnant and sick with #2. I was also fortunate to have fairly flexible childcare, and I did still send my son some days when I knew I had a lot of conference calls or needed 100% focus on a big job. I also had job flexibility that if there was a few hours I needed to be fully unavailable, I could usually make that work as well.
Now I’m home freelancing and definitely don’t make nearly as much money. I’m also new to it, so spending a lot more of my time marketing, getting clients, building a blog, etc. There is more potential for long-term income growth. But like others have mentioned, the time blurs more and choosing when to stop working becomes harder. My husband and I are also still trying to figure out how many hours it makes sense for me to work – from a financial and family perspective.
I agree 100% with how difficult it can be to STOP working if you are running your own business and work from home. I have flopped back and forth between working outside the home and running my own web design business from a home office — I am an Army wife and the frequent moves can make it truly difficult to find a decent job in enough time before our next move to make it worthwhile. So I started my own web design business 5 years ago to have something to fall back on like right now — we just moved, and I had to leave my job behind, but still have design clients who I do work for to help me bring in a little income.
Running my own design business, I only bring in about half the income that my full-time job brought in, but for no fewer hours, and sometimes more hours — and that’s when living in the same place that you work is not necessarily that great because it’s just all too easy to think, “Oh, I just need one more hour after dinner to wrap up this part of a project” but next think you know, it’s 10 pm and my family is in bed and I’ve missed spending the evening with them.
I think one of the biggest challenges is that any time I’ve ever taken time off, i.e. for the holidays, it has NEVER truly been time off. Since I’m the one and only employee of my company, if some issue comes up or something goes wrong with a client website, I’m the only one my clients call or email for support. I usually don’t answer calls from clients during times off (I let them know ahead of time that I won’t be answering the phone), but I do check messages and if there is a time sensitive problem, I feel obligated to take care of it. If it is something that can wait, my email auto-reply saying I will respond when I return to work suffices.
What is it exactly that you do that allows you to stay home? For instance, I work in a school and am obviously not allowed the choice of working from home. But I’d love to know what careers/positions are you in that allow that as an option? Maybe I need a career change.
I work in business travel.
I am in multi-level marketing. 🙂
bookkeeping
Human Resources
I test web-based computer software.
How did you get to do the testing of web-based software? That sounds more up my alley. At the moment, I’m half in the office and half at home writing for company’s marketing department.
My husband does youth ministry.
I’d love to hear more about specific companies that allow or even expect work from home professionals. I have a degree and work in the IT field but the, um… let’s call it “politics” have recently gotten so bad at my office that I REALLY, REALLY need a change. There is just not that much available in my area… the only thing I have come across was HALF my current salary. For half the salary, I need to do half the work! Anyway, if anyone has and work from home friendly companies to share, I would love to hear!
Software engineer.
Answers below but I do want to offer one word of advice/caution for those considering working from home. If you want to get paid well at a professional job working from home, you need to have childcare. Many companies outline the requirement in their HR policies so be sure you know what the expectation is.
What was the hardest part? I miss the social interaction of being around other people throughout the day. It also created a negative dynamic in my marriage early on. This has improved after a LOT of hard work but he basically treated me like a stay at home wife/mom when I have a 40+ hour work week. We had to work on expectations setting that just because I was home didn’t mean I should be responsible for taking care of everything. Another challenge is that I cannot work if my environment is cluttered. I’ve had to help my family understand how important it is that my workspace stays neat and orderly.
What was the easiest part? Once you get past the things above, it really is such an amazing blessing. It’s been the best of both worlds for us. I am able to get a lot done in addition to my work because I’m not commuting, don’t spend a lot of time getting ready in the mornings, etc. The 5 minutes I would use to grab a cup of water in the office is 5 minutes I can use to unload the dishwasher when working from home. I can throw in a load of laundry, start a meal in the crockpot – all things that take very little time so don’t really disrupt my work but have a positive impact for our family.
What do you like best about working from home? We have a full-time nanny and I have loved being able to be around my kids as they’ve grown. If I’m not on a call, I love for them to pop in to say hi and tell me about their day. When they were younger, I could rock them before naptime and/or get them up from naptime. I’m able to get away (assuming my schedule permits) for school functions. My heart very nearly bursts when I think what a wonderful treasure I’ve been given in that regard.
What do you miss the most about working in an office? The people.
Do you feel that financially, you come out ahead working from home? That is hard for me to answer because my salary is the same it was before and I don’t pay as much for dry cleaning, gas, etc. but as an extrovert, I have to get out of the house and be around people. I do eat our lunch at least once a week and try to have occasional coffee dates with friends to get some socialization. 🙂
Totally agree with many of the points noted. I work for a global company so can really work from wherever – home is my choice! Being at home allows me to get my kids off to school and be here when they get off the bus. They are both older (5th and 8th grade) so can take care of themselves if I am on a conference call or still working when they get home from school. I use notes to let them know if they cannot interrupt me until a certain time. The ability to make my own flexible hours (starting at 6 am on conference calls) allows me to end my day early to help with homework, shuttle them to practices and get dinner started. I can also go to their school activities much more easily.
I do echo Ann’s comments about how working from home has made me more of an introvert (hermit-like). The kids’ activities help with social interaction, as do occassional trips into the office. I also joined a book club and started an exercise class as ways to get some more interaction.
Saving on work clothes, dry cleaning, gas/tolls/parking, eating lunch out…all great savings! Sweats and slippers do not cost nearly as much as suits and heels! You just need some nice shirts for those times when video conferencing is used :). Also, we are able to deduct some of my business expenses from our taxes since I have to supply my own office supplies (printer ink, paper, etc.). Our tax preparer has also said that we can deduct some of our expenses related to internet and phone usage since I am using them for work and not being reimbursed by my company. Something worth checking into at tax time…
As Suzy mentioned, I am not a huge fan of my job right now but am staying put because of the flexibility that I have with my hours and my work location.
My biggest piece of advice would be to clearly establish a work area – a room with a door, if possible. Before we were able to get a spare room set up as my office, I was working at the dining room table. That was so challenging because it cluttered up our living space and it really blurred the lines between my work time and my family time. Now, I have an office (that doubles as a guest room) with a door so I can clearly establish boundaries between work time and family time – when work is finished for the day, I walk out of the room and close the door.
All in all, working at home has been a true blessing for our family and my sanity 🙂
My experience mirrors many of the other commenters. I started working full time at home when I moved 90 minutes away from my job when I married my husband. I expected to have to get a new job, but my boss was good with letting me try working from home. It’s now 4 years later. 🙂 For the most part I do love working from home. I have to be really careful, though, to stay on task. The dirty dishes or laundry are pretty tempting, and I admit I do take breaks from my work to do small chores here and there. I have set firm hours for my work – I start when my husband goes to work and finish just before he gets home. I also make sure I get showered and dressed before starting because it reminds me that I am working and not messing around. 😉 I do get lonely sometimes and love when I skype with my coworkers, but our evenings are often filled with social and ministry events and I can get my fill of interaction then. Another perk – on lovely days like today, I can sit on my deck and work!
I work from home full-time and I love it! The only thing I miss about working in an office is the “water cooler” chit chat with colleagues and having someone else to rely on when the internet goes down (which has only happened once in the three years I’ve worked from home, so not a big deal, lol). I do NOT miss the “office politics”, the cold and flu viruses that co-workers brought to work because they couldn’t/wouldn’t stay home. I also don’t miss the daily commute in rush-hour traffic, fueling my vehicle twice a week just to get to work and back, and the expense of an office wardrobe and lunches out. I dress comfortably and eat much more healthfully.
For many people, the hardest part is staying on task, it definitely requires self-discipline. Designate a room for your office (no TV!), keep it as professional as possible so that you feel like you are “at work” when you are in that room. When you’re done for the day (or weekend), close the door behind you, and you’re back at home, without the hassle of traffic!
Another Question 🙂 What do you ladies who work exclusively from home do to combat the loneliness? I exclusively work from home (although not full time anymore), and although I love my job and the flexibility it gives me, the loneliness of working from home still gets difficult at times.
Leah, it can get lonely, huh? I will take breaks and email or call a friend (one who knows I’m only on break and will hang up after 10 minutes or so!), read a blog post, etc. Occasionally, I take longer lunches and meet someone for lunch (I have a flexible schedule and can make up the time). I also have plenty of interaction with people in the evenings. We don’t have children yet, so that is still possible. I don’t know, but I’m guessing it’s a lot like being a stay at home mom. You have to be creative in getting good interaction and keeping up friendships, etc. 🙂
I had a really hard time with loneliness over the past 6 months. I left my “outside” job, moved to FL with my husband, and started working on blogging/writing full-time. We didn’t have a church yet, so it was equally as hard to start making friends. I’m also not a super social person, but I try to schedule lunches and time with friends at least once a month to keep me engaged. It has really helped.
My working from home involves with interacting with people. Otherwise, I see friends at church and see my husband when he comes home. 🙂
I do not really miss office politics, so I don’t really find it lonesome. Of course, my husband works from home also, so I have the benefit of having a hot coworker to chat with. 😉 I like that the people I can interact with are people I choose to interact with at church or at activities like going to the gym. I do find it dull sometimes though when working by myself at home, since my husband often goes to a virtual office to work. I tried TV for a little noise in the background, but often that is too distracting. Podcasts are free and a good thing to listen to while doing mindless tasks. If it is in the budget, you might try a virtual office — they have some where you can pay a monthly fee, like a gym membership, which gives you access to different tiers of services, and the people there are all sort of there to get a little “watercooler chat” time while they work because they are in the same boat as you are. It’s not my thing, but a lot of people like it. You might check it out!
My husband also works from home 2.5 days a week, so I get to spend all day long with him. My three girls are home before and after school, so I usually don’t get too lonely. We are very active in our church as well so that gives me a lot of interaction on Sundays and Wednesdays. I guess you just have to seek out your own interaction since it isn’t right there in front of you.
I love working from home. I am honestly not a huge fan of my job but I love the freedom I am given because of it. I homeschool a 7th grader and Kindergartener and have a six week old. We didn’t have to worry about daycare or getting the kids to school (although we have had to get them to their activities) don’t have to worry if its a bad night with the baby and just can’t seem to have the time to take a shower and get dressed. Some of the biggest bonuses are we don’t have to worry about child are costs, clothing costs for work clothes at least, we know about our children’s education, we save money on food since we only have to prepare a meal for my husbands lunch.
The biggest issues are: you have to be really self motivated! If you aren’t nothing will get done, make lists (I have lists for everything! One for my work, house work, kids school work daily, a menu plan, etc). At least for me it keeps me on track and I know I am accomplishing something when I can check it off my list 🙂 also try to get multiple tasks done at the same time! It really helps! For example make a crockpot dinner while you work so you don’t have to stress about dinner.
I get lots of requests for help from others… Whether it be watching their child, doing errands for them, helping with a task etc. I have to be truly aware of what I can do because I am not good at saying “no”.
Overall it is a wonderful blessing to work from home.
My feelings are similar to Ann’s. I’ve been at my current job for 15 years. About 5 years in I was allowed to start working from home 1 day a week, and over the years that had slowly increased to 3 days a week. Just this summer I was approved to work from home full time on a trial basis, and a few weeks ago it was approved permanently. I absolutely love working from home. My job can be very stressful with extra hours involved, so working from home helps me deal with it.
In addition, we save so much money in gas, tolls, work clothes and before/after school care. I also love the flexibility it allows. I’m able to help out at my daughter’s school when they have parties, etc by taking my lunch a little later. I could never have done that before working an hour away from home.
I will say that if you have kids that aren’t in school yet, you really should still put them in daycare – it’s impossible to get work done with small kids around all day. Once in a while is doable. When the kids have a day off of school or they are sick, it’s definitely manageable. If you’re kids are school age, you should have a plan in place for the summer. My daughter is 8 and we send her to summer day camp.
People do forget you’re actually working (like both my parents) who will call and say “I know you’re working so I won’t keep you”, but will keep talking….
I do miss the interaction sometimes too (I’m also an introvert, which is why this arrangement suits me so well) but I am required to go into the office once every 2 months so I’ll get my fix of face to face interaction then. But, this situation also gives me the best of both worlds because I get the taste of being a stay home mom too – and get to interact with other moms at the bus stops and school functions that I wouldn’t be able to attend otherwise.
It’s a win-win situation for our family and I consider myself very lucky.
I will echo the remark about daycare. My school aged daughter doesn’t need it, but I have an infant and I must have childcare for her. I can’t work and look after her, because I’m actually working in a very fast paced job.
I have def. found that some people don’t understand the ‘I’m at home, but I’m working’ idea. I keep my 2 yr old daughter home w/me, but she is so well behaved and plays so nicely that it works for me. I have a SIL whose son is …ahhheemmm…a bit of a monster and she asks me to watch him sometimes, ‘since I’m at home’. She’d due w/a second in Feb. and I KNOW I can’t take them both on a regular basis AND get my work done…some gentle conversations will be in order.
The hardest part about working at home, is, well, remembering that it’s work!
I freelance from home, and have a one year old. If I need to work, I have to do my work around when my husband can watch him (or when my son is sleeping) or I have to hire a sitter.
Personally, I could not work 40+ hours a week from home simply because I like to be at home when I am home. A separation of “work” and “home” is very important to me with my multi-tasking personality.
I am working on transitioning into full time work at home within the next few months. I definitely know my income potential is far better working at home. I’ve been making much more money lately freelancing than I do working my 9-5. The hardest part will be loneliness I think.
I agree. For me the hardest part is reminding my family that I am working. I have to lock my office door so that my husband and children will not bother me. They don’t realize how a question here or there ads up especially when writing. 😉
Honestly, another hard part is the messes at home and how my husband forgets that just because I am home all day doesn’t mean I’ve been sitting in front of the TV.
There are many positives, but a few that may be overlooked is the opportunity to change over laundry. Even if you don’t put it up, you can wash/dry throughout the day. And, to thaw out food, or prep something for supper.
I have been working at my current job for 8 years. For the first 2 years, I worked 3 days a week at home and 2 in the office. Then we moved farther away, so now I work from home full time. I end up going in to the office a few days per year for meetings, but that is unusual. It’s a 90 minute drive one way.
The hardest part about working at home is that people forget that you are working. I’ve had people call me just to gab, people ask me to watch their kids during the day, and volunteer me to do things during the day, seeming to forget that I have to work. Probably the second hardest thing for me about working at home is looking at the messes and/or jobs that need to be done and not being able to take care of them because I am working.
The easiest part is the commute!
What I like best about working at home is that I am at home. We don’t have to worry about what to do when the kids are out of school or who is going to stay home if someone is sick. I’m here already.
What I miss most about working in a office is the face-to-face interaction. Email and IM are good but you miss a little not seeing the people in person. I am naturally an introvert and I think working at home has pushed me a little too far in that direction.
I do think we come out ahead with me working at home. I don’t have to buy work clothes, I don’t have to pay for gas, we don’t have to pay for before/after school care. We tend to eat out less because I am here and often start something for dinner in the afternoon which avoids that last minute scramble.
I love it and hope to never have to go back!
I would say the exact same thing as Ann. People forget or just think that you are not working and try to call you ect…. You have to put a stop to it very fast. At the same time, there is lots of convenience. I can get my daughter of the school bus or if she is sick she can stay home with me. It simplifies lots of things. It makes it easier to get dinner on the table. I can prep dinner on my lunch break and get it on the table faster. You come out ahead financially for all the reasons Ann said. It does get lonely. That is the part I like least. The part I love most is the dress code. I like wearing my jeans and tees instead of having to dress up and wear uncomfortable shoes. I can work barefoot!