A lot of us have been working from home as freelancers, as business owners. There are many benefits to this setup but there are also some downsides. It all depends on your priorities. Here are some of the things that need to be considered when working from home.
Things That Bring Pleasure
MORE SLEEP, LESS TRAFFIC
Working from home allows you to enjoy the whole process of waking up. You don’t have to rush through the morning to prepare for work. Your first meal of the day can be a time for family bonding. No more rushing out the door to catch the bus. No more getting stuck in traffic. You can spend the time to put in some exercise, do some gardening, or even meditate. At night, you can have more time to read a book, write on your journal or watch your favorite show.
MORE TIME FOR SELF CARE
One of the things we forget when we are constantly rushing through our work days is self-care. How many of us have missed our breakfast because we needed to be early for our commute to the office? Working from home allows us time to prepare and actually sit down to a meal. It gives us more time to properly go through our morning and night time beauty routines. We can spend more leisure time at the end of the work day. We can also get more sleep if we want.
MORE TIME FOR WHAT YOU LOVE
Spending time with our loved ones is an essential part of our life. Sadly, our 9-5 jobs for 5 days of the week means that we only spend 2 days with our family or with friends outside of work. Working from home means that we can schedule time in the day for a short chat with the important persons in our lives. We can also schedule time to enjoy working on our favorite hobbies or learning about things that contribute to our intellectual wellness.
Things That Are Bothersome
MORE DISTRACTIONS, LESS FOCUS
One of the things that can be an issue when working from home is the presence of distractions. Because you are sharing space with your family members; it becomes difficult to concentrate on your work. People watching TV or practicing musical instruments may be distracting you from work. You may also end up browsing thru social media instead of doing your job since you don’t have work colleagues around to notice you. In this situation, you may become more prone to procrastination too.
BLURRED BOUNDARIES
Having your own work space is an important consideration when working from home too. People may feel free to bother you even during your work time. On the other hand, your boss or team mates may be messaging or calling you about work even before or beyond your work hours. This may even happen during your non-working days. There are even cases where people are being given more work because it is assumed that they have more time since they are just at home.
TECHNICAL FRUSTRATIONS
Working from home means that you should be available online during your working hours. However, this setup can sometimes be frustrating. Aside from distraction issues; you also have to contend with technical issues. Your internet connection may be fluctuating; you may have video on your virtual meeting but no audio, or the other way around. There are many other technical frustrations that we really can’t do anything about. Not to mention there are technologies that we need to learn in this new setup.
Maintaining Work-Life Balance
The good and bad of working from home can be managed by maintaining work-life balance. Just like any dimension in life; you must have the discipline to manage your tasks throughout the day. You must be able to prioritize and allocate your time productively. This is important to achieve occupational wellness. This way, you are able to give the best in your job while having the time to enjoy the benefits of working from home.
Feature Image: Original Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash.