Do you dream of working from home? Does the thought of setting your own hours, wearing casual clothes, and saving time sound awesome? We’ll, I happen to work from home and as awesome as it sounds, there are a few drawbacks to be aware of.
After graduate school, I was lucky enough to land a great position at a company in the California Bay Area. I worked in the office for about a year and a half and during that time I was looking at my financial situation. I realized, how was I going to buy a home ($800K at least) and pay off my massive student debt? For the sake of my financial future, I decided I wanted to move to Austin, Texas where housing is much cheaper and there is no state income tax. I made a pros and cons list of moving and went ahead with my decision. I was really nervous about asking my manager if I could move and work as a remote employee. Other employees at the company worked remotely, so it was worth a shot! I met with my manager, asked if I could work remotely, and with a hint of disappointment, my manager approved! I lucked out and a couple months later, my car was packed and I was on the road to Texas!
Working Remotely
Over the years, I have worked from home on occasion and spent a lot of time working on my thesis project. So, working from home is nothing really new to me. I set up a legitimate workspace with a nice chair and standing/adjustable desk, which is probably a nicer setup than most offices. I have been working as a full-time remote employee now for almost exactly a year. At first, it was totally awesome, but I did start to realize there were some drawbacks. So, here’s a list of the pros and cons I’ve come across:
Pros:
- Flexibility! Set your own schedule
- Casual attire
- No commute
- Work from anywhere
- Save money on lunches out
- Less distraction from colleagues
- Available for deliveries, repairman, etc.
Cons:
- No office interaction/collaboration (only video chat/messenger)
- You might work too much
- Less separation of work/home life
- You need self-discipline
- Distractions in other forms
Still want to work from home? The pros are very encouraging, but as you can see, there are a number of drawbacks. The good news is there are ways to fend off those cons and here are a number of strategies I use:
Overcoming the cons:
- Get out and socialize with people after work/on the weekends
- Video chat with colleagues often to keep up rapport
- Keep yourself to a strict schedule – set an alarm and work consistent, dependable hours
- Try and keep your workstation in another room if possible, keep a separate space
- Wear casual office attire to keep you in the office mind-set
- Discipline yourself like you’re in the office, keep distractions to a minimum
There are pros and cons to practically anything in life. Almost everyone wishes they could work from anywhere, but the realization is that it takes extra effort to really stay on top of things. If you believe you have the self-discipline to work from home, you may enjoy all the benefits above that ultimately save you a ton of time and money over your lifetime. The time and money you save not having to commute is almost worth it alone! If you’d like a little humor on the subject, check out The Oatmeal.
So, there you have it. Working from home is great, but you have to put in the effort to really stay on top of it. Think you’ve got what it takes? Let me know in the comments below!
