Can You Really Make “Working From Home” Work For You?

February 20, 2020

If you hold a “regular” job (no shifts, you’re not a freelancer and you’re most likely an employee), chances are your job hours are 9-5, or something similar. You might have thought about breaking free from the monotony, but you’re not sure what your options are. “Working from home” sounds like a dream for most people, yet at the same time you’re doubting the effectiveness of that, despite an increasing number of people doing so. Well, the job landscape has changed quite a lot over the years, and “working from home” is very much a thing. The question is, if you ever choose this option, can you really make “working from home” work for you? Find out!

Advantages & Disadvantages Of Working From Home

Before you make any decision, it’s always a good idea to get the whole picture. Here’s a list of some pros and cons of working from home, so you’ll know what exactly you’ll be getting yourself into.

Advantages

Flexible timing
No commute
Higher levels of productivity (depending on your focus and discipline)
Save on meals
Save on office attire
No office distractions (chatty co-workers, crazy temperatures etc.)
Comfortable environment (in the sense that you probably won’t have to complain about your boss or nasty co-workers)

Disadvantages

Forgetting to “clock out”
Getting distracted by social media, TV, naps…
Running errands and doing other things instead of actually working
Not sticking to a routine and getting lazy
Boredom
Lack of collaboration with others (discussion, brainstorming etc.)
“Home” may not actually be suitable for work due to other family members/pets that may be a form of distraction

With this, we’re only at the tip of the iceberg – the success of working from home greatly depends on the next thing we’ll be discussing – yourself.

Do You Know How You Work?

Well, do you? We’re not looking for superficial information like your daily work tasks or your routine at work, or if you only say “it depends”. In order to decide if you can actually work from home, you need to dig a little deeper. Here are some questions you may want to try answering:

Do you know what you want to do for your life’s work?
Will working from home be a long-term arrangement or a short-term stint?
What’s your personality like? Do you work best alone or with people?
How’s your self-discipline and willpower like when left alone without supervision?
Do you need a routine and how well do you stick to one?
Do you constantly need change and challenges or are you fine with doing the same things over and over for what could be a long time?
What is the nature of your job and is it one that you can get things done from home?

All in all, before you analyse “working from home”, you should analyse yourself first. Knowing exactly how you operate is a big factor in helping you decide. Of course, we’re not saying people can’t change and adapt, but it helps to know your direction in life so you can set about making changes if necessary.

What’s Your Home Like?

If you’re going to work from home, you’re going to need to make sure your home environment is productive, or that you have extreme willpower to get things done. Again, here’s a list of questions to consider before making your home your “office”.

Will you get the whole place to yourself or will there be other family members at home?
Will said family members be a distraction to you if they are present?
Do you (plan to) have a designated work space?
Does your home have necessary equipment for you to get things done e.g. stable Internet connection, printer, certain computer softwares etc.?
Is your home comfortable for work, or can it get too comfortable?
Is your neighbourhood noisy and does noise affect your work?
Just in case you need an escape from your home environment, are there places nearby that can easily be a substitute office such as cafes/co-working places?

Verdict

You can definitely make working from home work for you, provided you are committed enough to the arrangement. More of the younger generation are looking for this sort of option as well, eschewing traditional job restrictions and hours. In fact, some corporations do allow their employees to work from home on some kind of schedule, and have benefited greatly from this arrangement. Also, if you haven’t tried working from home before, it may be quite a difficult transition to make at first. The future of our job landscape could undergo huge changes, and we may find ourselves working from home rather than in an office setting soon. Furthermore, with the situation of Covid-19 still not under control, working from home may be on the table in the near future. Just… don’t post anything on social media if you happen to hang out instead of “work”!