and would never see myself back into a 9 to 5
To me working from home has been a blessing and a motivation. Even though it took me a while to figure it out, and through trial and error understand what works for me. This is a lifestyle I never knew I wanted, but which I would not see myself giving up any time soon. So for today I thought I’d share with you my top 10 reasons why I enjoy working from home. And why I do not see myself going back to a 9 to 5 job in an office any time soon.
#1: Flexible schedule
Yeah, yeah, this is somewhat an obvious one. But I still wanted to mention it because I believe not everyone truly realizes what a flexible schedule is. Essentially, it does not only mean that you start and end your day when you choose to. But also that it does not need to be one single block of working time. Instead, you can take breaks when you want no matter how long they are. This is an approach I’ve used for years. Recently I learned that this is called the block schedule system and has been promoted by Jordan Page.
If you are curious how I use the block schedule system, leave me a comment below and I will write a post dedicated to this.
#2: Working from the beach? Sure, which one?
I already told you that on Fridays I work from a coffee shop. Usually a different one. But I can be accused of having worked from pretty unusual places for most. I took calls from my nail salon, I drafted slides at the hair salon, I attended virtual meetings from the airport, the doctor’s, the post, the hotel room, the beach and while driving. And this is not all. Because when you work from home even the timezone doesn’t matter. You can literally be anywhere in the world and connect to calls, reply to emails or work together with your colleagues on shared documents. So which beach would you like to work from? 😀
#3: Time is the most precious asset you have – and you can get more of it
One of the main reasons I enjoy working from home is that it saves me time. Time I would spend on getting ready and commuting. Although where I live the transport is quite fluid and it would not take me long to get to the office any way. But I still enjoy this as I get to focus during those 60-90 min I save on other activities that are important to me.
“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.”
― Charles Darwin, The Life & Letters of Charles Darwin
#4: Who doesn’t want more money?
Another key reason I prefer working from home is that it allows me to save between 3,000 – 4,000 USD per year on lunch and transportation. Of course, the amount of the saving would differ from one country to another. But if you add daily coffee or any other small cost “daily habit” you might have, all that adds up. So why not add that to your holiday budget instead and spend more time in a more exclusive location? 😉
#5: Fewer distractions
This is a debatable one. But for me it does make a difference. And that is all the interruptions, the chatter, and even the noise that distract you especially in an open floor office. I still remember those days when my my team were shouting over the desk dividers to ask me questions :D. Every 5 minutes :). And of course, this could also happen in the remote working life as well. But there you have methods of letting others know you are not available. I promised I will write a post on remote working etiquette and I will do soon 😉
#6: More independence and problem solving
This is one I truly value. And what I mean is that not being in an office and having people who can solve your questions around, you end up looking up the answers yourself. And while sometimes this might not be efficient, I realized that this has helped me develop and learn so many new skills.
#7: Avoid passive stress
What I found is that I am way less stressed working from home. And the main reason for that is I don’t need to deal with other people’s stress. I am a quite empathetic person, so if those around me are nervous, stressed, angry, upset, I end up sharing some of those negative feelings. Whether I realize it or not. At home though, this no longer happens as I am surrounded by my loved ones only.
#8: Allows me to balance family responsibilities
This is probably one of the key reasons I am writing this post in the first place. Being a wife and a mother, I need time to look after my boys. It is something I enjoy and gives me energy. But with a 9 to 5 as demanding as mine, this would have been almost impossible. However, working from home I can balance the time I spend working and while I take breaks I do some of the household chores that relax me. This way I am efficient and I get to do what I need to get done in a pleasant way.
#9: More comfortable and personalized atmosphere
Don’t even get me started on this one :D. Who doesn’t enjoy personalizing their space? Really..People do that even when they are working in an office. So how could you not enjoy the flexibility of working from home, where you can have anything you desire on your desk, under your desk, next to your desk, above your desk, no desk … You get the idea 🙂
#10: Family and me time
Last but not least, working from home allows you to spend more time with your family or for yourself. Of course, this needs to go hand in hand with proper balance and planning as mentioned in my post on My top 3 tips about working from home. For me, just like number 8 above, this has been a blessing. Having a baby and then a toddler, working from home allowed me not only to arrange my schedule so that I spend more time with him. But it also allowed me to be flexible when he needed to stay at home on sick days. Again, I am considering writing a post on how I manage my day with a toddler at home. Please comment below if this is something you’d care to read about.
What are some of the reasons you enjoy working from home? Or what do you believe would be the biggest positive impact to your life if you were able to work from home as of tomorrow? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Until next time,
Laura
