Anyone who works from home shares the same secret, and I am about to let you in on it. So lean in close, we don’t want too many people to hear. Are you ready for the secret? Working from home online is the best job you can have. Seriously, it would take an act of God to get me back into a traditional office with a 9-5 schedule. I love my flexible work schedule and the autonomy I have (this works because I am an independent contractor and not an employee).
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Work From Home Online Kind of Smacked Everyone in the Face
With the sudden shutdown from the virus, many people had to suddenly adjust to this new normal of working from home. It was a shock to the system. Suddenly, you are home and you are quarantine schooling.
Many companies and employees do have mixed feelings about telecommuting. The New York Times recently posted an article on the disastrous history of telecommuting. In contrast, NPR just posted an article on how businesses are ready to make the move to working from home permanent.
Let’s Make It Permanent
I am on the side of let’s make it permanent. Or at least offer the option to employees. Some will chose to go into the office, instead of working from home. There are pros and cons to working from home, just like there are for going into an office every day.
Recently, I wrote a post 7 Myths About Working From Home Online. I wanted to follow it with 7 truths I have discovered about working from home.
7 Truths to Work From Home Online
1. Flexible schedule.
This is number one for me. I LOVE the fact that I can work my own hours. I can’t emphasize this enough. Being able to create my own schedule around things we want to do during the week is the number 1 reason I work from home online.
I can fit my work in around my kids. I don’t worry about doctor appointments. We can go swimming, when the pool is practically empty. I can take the kids to see the Air force thunder birds and still do my work.
2. I talk to myself.
I discovered that I still talk things out but to myself now. That can make the day interesting. Or my kids start to answer me when I talk out loud. Either way the problem that I am wrestling with gets solved.
3. I miss noise.
While I don’t necessarily miss working around people all the time. I find that I do miss noise, but the upside of that is I can listen to audio books to fill that space. I have listened to more books in the last few years than I would ever be able to read. In the first 7 months of 2020, I’ve listened to about 25 books. I am getting more of an education listening to all these books than I ever would in college.
4. Office politics are non-existent.
This is one of the best benefits. There are no office politics. While I work with a team, since everything is virtual, when we do talk it is strictly business. So you get out of the gossip, the questioning of “hopefully I didn’t say anything wrong”, and I don’t have to flatter someone’s ego. The business relationships are more genuine and honest.
5. I do have more time to play.
While I am busier than ever, I do find that I can plan more times to play with the kids. Or just take them with me where I need to go.
There are so many blog posts and Pinterest pins about giving kids experiences over stuff. But this is almost impossible to do when you are required to be in an office, and you also have to commute to the office every day. Your time is not your own, and your ability to give your kids experiences is drastically limited.
6. I enjoy working independently.
I have always known that I enjoy working independently. And I have discovered that to be very true. Since I work virtually this is a huge asset; if you can’t work independently you will have a hard time working virtually.
7. I have turned into a morning person…sort of.
I never thought this would happen. But with enjoying my flexible schedule and wanting to plan activities with the kids, I find that I get a lot done at 5:30 in the morning. And that leaves me time to play during the day. I would still prefer to be a night owl, but getting my tasks done early helps to leave the day open.
I know every person has their own unique experience, and I want to hear yours. Tell us what you hope to gain from working from home. Or what you have already gained by working from home.
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