It happened. Everyone is working from home. And people are going to start learning my secret—it is awesome to be working from home online. I have been working from home online for over five years now, and I wouldn’t change it. In a previous post, How to Work from Home (With Kids), I mentioned that it would take an act of God to get me back in the office. Now that there are many more workers working from home, I think there are many more people who would agree.
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Businesses and Individuals Benefit from Working from Home Online
Working from home online has a ton of benefits. And with the increased popularity of being a remote worker, there are so many new tools to use as well. It has become so easy to work from home, we may see a permanent change in how businesses use more of these tools on a long-term basis.
Not only are there many advantages for individuals, but businesses are also reaping the rewards of employees working from home. There are lower overhead cost to the business, better work-life balance for the individual, and more focused energy on projects. Just to name a few.
Despite the awesomeness and the advantages of working from home online, I have discovered a few myths, some I’ve had myself and some observations from others.
The 7 Myths About Working from Home Online
1. You have more leisure time.
Let’s have a collective laugh. If you have worked from home for a short time or for years now, you know that this is just not true. Between working and taking care of the family, our days are filled from dawn to dusk.
It takes a purposeful effort to take a break and regroup, or to plan an outing for the kids. While I would love to be laying on the couch reading through my stack of books, or binge watching anything…it just doesn’t happen. And you know what, that is totally fine with me.
2. You can sleep in.
Ok let’s all laugh again. If you are like me, you find that you actually need to get up earlier than when you needed to be in the office by 9am. I love my uninterrupted time in the morning. I am a confessed night owl, but I wouldn’t trade my quiet morning for working at night.
Work from home moms have the great advantage of setting our own schedules. And being the queen of your schedule is just awesome. While I can set my own schedule, I find the best time to start my day is at 5:30. So it leaves very little room to catch up on my sleep. And did I mention my baby gets up often, like ALL. NIGHT. LONG.
3. The house would be spotless.
Yep, you know what to do right now, laugh. I always thought if I ever had the opportunity to work from home that my house would be spotless. Like magazine clean. Anyone could come in at any time and see a masterpiece. I just need to laugh again. In my fantasy this is how my house would be.
Reality (it is always a kick in the head), I have children, as soon as I mop the floor there are goldfish on it again or some mystery stickiness (yeah, we don’t want to solve that mystery). So I have stopped trying to fight the battle of keeping it magazine clean and just enjoy where I am at in life. For the most part. I still have days when the house gets on my nerves, but they are few and far between.
4. Dinner would be ready at the same time every night.
Yep, you know what to do, let’s all laugh together. Now, this could be a myth that you may not have a problem with. See I dislike cooking. Like totally and completely. I would eat pancakes every night just so my kids would make dinner.
Needless to say, it is never at the top of my list of things to do. The thought that it would change when I was home was a nice thought for about 5 minutes. But it didn’t change. I still work and have kids so those gourmet meals from Food Network don’t happen. But I may slip in a few Pioneer Woman ones. Who doesn’t love 16-minute meals?
5. You would miss being around people.
You don’t have to laugh at this one because it is a legitimate concern. Like when people know that you homeschool and the first question that they ask is, how do you socialize. But, like the question about homeschooling, let’s blow this idea about working from home out of the water too.
On other blogs this is usually listed as the top con regarding working from home online. As a disclaimer, I do tend to be more of an introvert. An extrovert may find that they do miss people. However, I find that I don’t miss being around people while I’m working. My social interactions are now just that–social. I am not standing around talking about work while hanging out with friends.
There is a clearer separation between work and friends. My office politics consist of what it means to be nice to your brother or sister. And I must say, I prefer these politics to any other kind.
6. I would be able to sit out in the sun and work on my laptop while my kids played in the yard.
Yes, this one requires a laugh. Picture it with me. A nice porch swing. The kids are running around in the yard with the dogs (not arguing because that never happens in daydreams). I am gently swinging back and forth as I blissfully answer email. Sounds nice doesn’t. That is a work from home dream. Such a nice little thought, right?
Reality comes back to give us a not so nice thumping. Because it just doesn’t happen. What has happened is I really like my desk. Over time I’ve been able to create a setup that works for me. So the most comfortable place to blissfully answer email is from my desk. The older kids are able to go to the park by themselves, so they aren’t missing out on anything. Now I just need to figure out how to get a porch swing behind my desk.
7. My days would not be so rushed.
This is the final myth on my list, and it also requires a hearty laugh. If we don’t have to be in the office at a certain time then our mornings aren’t rushed, and neither are our days, right? It is a nice little idea.
I find my days are still rushed. But rushed in a way that I have more control over my time. When I worked in an office it was drop the kids at daycare and then go to my office and work. My time was controlled by someone else. Now my time can be more fully given to my kids. I still have work to get done, but my time is dictated by how much work is there, not by how much time I should give.
Being the queen of my schedule doesn’t mean that I am not rushed, it just means I get to decide on how my days will look.
I don’t think there is enough money in the world to entice me into not being the boss of my own schedule.
This wraps up my list of myths about working from home online. Do you have any?
Read more about working from home online: 7 Truths to Work from Home Online
Tell me how your mindset had to change when you started working from home. Are there any myths you had to debunk?
What is your favorite time and place to work? Share it in the comments. Maybe you found something that we haven’t thought of yet.
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