post off: do you work from your home?
This week’s House & Home section in the New York Times was dedicated to the concept of home offices. This article — Home Office Life and Its Discontents — covers the pitfalls such as loneliness (colleagues can help the day go by quicker), lack of motivation (your tv/dirty bathroom/fridge is so close!) and distractions (kids, spouses). But we know that many of you work from home and love it. How do you do it? What are the key ingredients to make it work? Do you miss “the office?” or do you think working from home is the only way to go?
January 4th, 2008 at 9:50 am
I haven’t started working from home yet, but it’s coming in the next month. Because of that, I’ve been trying to use the time I have now to set up a lot of other things around the house — repaint the kitchen and family room, reorganize the bathroom, etc. I think I’m also going to plan to institute a daily phone call to friends — to legitimately give myself time to talk to other people without worrying that I’m taking time away from work.
And though my husband-to-be also occasionally works from home himself, I’ve set up my home office not only in a different room, but on a different floor of the house, so we’re not constantly bothering each other.
January 4th, 2008 at 10:02 am
I struggle with this — have struggled now for years. I’ve lived in big houses and small apartments, had a separate home office or corner of a room, but I always find myself down, bored, unmotivated and “working” on the couch. I’ve had to admit that while I’m passionate, I’m not terribly driven.
So, I’ve found ways to cheat myself into working. I schedule daily, early morning calls with my team/ colleagues to make sure I’m up and capable of speech before 10 (though I am often still in pj’s). I frequently work from the neighborhood coffee shop, just to get the buzz from the other people’s presence. I’ve stopped feeling gossipy when I pick up the phone and call to get the latest office news (you must, you must).
I’m nervous, though. This month I start a new role that less about day-to-day progress and more about big strategic impact, and I worry that I’ll fade into the abyss and not get much accomplished. Any ideas would be welcomed.
Oh, and get a speaker phone that you love, if you do the kind of work requiring conference calls.
January 4th, 2008 at 10:08 am
I miss the people at the office on a personal level. But then, when I travel and visit the office, I realize what a stressful place it is… and how all the ambient stress is very unhealthy.
I also rejoice endlessly in the fact that my commute is now one minute, instead of one hour each way on a heavily travelled freeway.
Since I’m not attracted to doing housework and there is generally no one else home during the day, I’m not distracted by too much. Most days I feel like I have fewer distractions than I did in the office (chatty co-workers, mini-office emergencies, etc.) Although I do have days that are less productive from time to time.
It helped a lot at first to have an actual office space set up, all very official, so that I could “go” to work. But I’ve been working from home for nearly three years now, and I’m very used to it now… and in our new place, I don’t have a separate office and it’s no problem.
And another plus is that I am able to use the hour I used to commute during to exercise instead. That, combined with a lack of sugary and fatty snacks brought in by co-workers, has resulted in a nice loss of weight and a much healthier feeling for me.
January 4th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
I’m with DJ, I realize now how much stress surrounded me at the office when I used to work there.
January 4th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
…though I also struggle with motivation. It’s nice to be judged by what I produce rather than how long I’m in my chair, but sometimes I can’t let myself stop when I’ve accomplished enough for the day. So I wind up working way long hours or procrastinating on starting projects so that I spend a full day at my desk.
January 4th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
I have worked from home for the last year and a half, but I am self employed, and that keeps me motivated–I work many nights and weekends in addition to days in an effort to become very well established in my field! I love the flexibility of my schedule and the ability to work from anywhere with an internet connection (though there are definitely days where I would love to have a boss again, just to relieve myself of the pressures and responsibility of the work that I do).
I have been working from a temporary office (that is the TV/sewing/guest room) but am moving into my fancy, newly constructed office this weekend! It will be so great to have my materials all organized on shelves rather than stacked all over the floor, and I am mightily looking forward to regaining my sewing room once more.
January 5th, 2008 at 7:53 am
I have worked from home, built my business, and raised my 3 kids, all from home (husband works/worked outside the home.) The kids were the reason I stayed at home, but I was determined to build a viable career, even if it had to be from home. Now, they are all grown and (almost) gone.
Working from home is awesome. I would never trade it for anything else. For me, it’s all about freedom. I have plenty of contact with people…with peers in my industry, with clients, and I am occasionally off and running, but all, or mostly, on my schedule. How could this be bad?
I also work all sorts of off hours, and nap if I need to during the day, for example, if I didn’t sleep well the night before. Doesn’t take much time out of the day, but, it’s freedom. I’m usually at my desk before 5 am every day, easing into the day, and here all day (unless I have an appointment.)
I work in a 1,000 square foot design studio that I made in the lower level of my home, with a separate entrance for my clients. I gaze out large windows into a deep woods. The TV goes on above me after 4 pm. Bad weather doesn’t affect me. I like being alone. And, best of all, my garden is just out the back door for a great little break. What’s bad? Nothing! It’s all so amazingly good, still, nearly 20 years later!
January 6th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
I worked for an online company for several years, and now I work for myself at home. I love it!! I spent 25 years in a typical career (away from home) and I’d never, ever go back!
I don’t have a lot of problem with motivation, because I just wake up and go to the computer in my jammies and focus on the graititude that I don’t have to fix my hair, rush around, drive in traffic, etc etc etc. Compared to all that, I find reading my email to start the day a pleasure!
The downside for me is that people (friends, relatives) think if I’m home, I’m not working, even though they know I work! People call and chat, ask for favors and drop by my home office where they never would an office outside the home. So, it takes a while to set some boundaries, but the boundaries are very flexible!
January 7th, 2008 at 8:21 am
As a stylist for 13 years I have always worked out of my home.
I have a pretty nice home office but I always find that the distractions of housework, cooking laundry (lucky me!) for a family of 5 that I jump around and if there isn’t something pressing like a big project or deadline I can be easily drawn away from focusing on my career.
I am now working as a real estate agent and have an office here in Cambridge less than a mile from home. I find that if I plan to go into the office I can cram the chores into a shorter window, leave the house and get more done. Also, leaving the house requires, clothing, makeup etc. I am planning to do the computer essentials (check e-mail, websurf a little and get the days news) before the day begins at 7:oo. If all goes well I will have a much more productive work life.
I think that if you are transitioning to a 100% home office situation then structuring time is essential. Otherwise as enjoyable as it may seem, productivity can and will diminish.
January 8th, 2008 at 7:09 am
I have worked from home for 5 years now. I love it. Can’t imagine having to go back to an office.
I thought I would miss having people around, but I don’t. I work with my husband/business partner. We each have our own office.
I put myself on a schedule and have a to do list. I don’t allow myself to sit in front of a tv or do work from my couch. I don’t work in my pajamas.
I don’t actually miss having other people around, but then I usually didn’t really like most of the people I worked with to begin with. And those I did like I still keep in contact with over IM and email on a fairly regular basis.
The only problem that working at home has caused is those occasional times I have to go to a client meeting. It just seems like nothing gets done. Everyone is just sitting around talking.
I don’t think I could have worked at home when I was younger though. After 20 years of working and learning time management, working by myself and for myself is possible. When I first started working an office was a better situation for me.
January 8th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Since I’ve always written kind of wherever, and the laptop has made that even easier, working from home has been okay for me. I freelanced on my own for a year several years back. I liked that a lot: having to rustle up my own work got me plenty of phone and interaction time, and I got out of the house a lot going to meetings and brainstorming with others.
When we moved to Seattle, 2300 miles from my hometown, my office asked if I’d be willing to stay on as a writer, working remotely. I didn’t exactly jump at the chance, but after a few days’ consideration decided to give it a shot. The hardest part was being in a new city and being alone in the house all day. After a couple months, I started making a concerted effort to meet others (Yelp.com events, meetups, etc.) and at this point have quite a few friends. Now I have more balance, get out on occasion for lunch, and in general dont’ feel shut off from the world!
I do have an office set up and now we’re moving again to a new house, and my goal is to make it as comfortable for working as possible, since the one I have now I’m only in some of the time. I literally write from the couch, the floor, the kitchen counter, even sometimes in bed! Not that it’s always a good thing…!
January 14th, 2008 at 5:16 am
I have been working from home for a year and half and love it. I am a Realtor and have to be self motivated to survive in thecurrent Real Estate market. I am so grateful to be able to work from home. I have already e-mailed 5 clients and it is only 8:00am. Working from home allows me the flexibility to make my own hours and enjoy my life.
January 14th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I was temporarily a “work from home” graphic designer a few years ago and I completely understand the motivational issues that others have mentioned. Currently I work during the day in corporate design/marketing department (with lots of stress) but in the evening and on weekends I work with my wife on a home based online business.
It’s interesting that finding motivation for working on our own business is 10 times easier than finding the motivation when you’re working for someone else.
This thread has been a very interesting read.
Thanks