Working from home

[CommittedToThis]

I've been doing production programming for a direct marketing firm for 20 years this October, five years ago management decided to close the office and let us all work from home.

 

The first few months took some adjusting as I missed my co-workers and the routine I'd established over the years.

 

It didn't take long to fully adjust and I love it. In fact, when I had to leave the big city 3 years ago due to a break-up and it being too expensive to stay, it led to me me being able to buy a house in the national forest about 80 miles away.

 

We work set hours (7:30AM-4:30PM) with an hour break whenever we want it. I love rolling out of bed at 7:20AM and logging on -- hey, I'm at work!

 

My co-workers and I are all disciplined otherwise this wouldn't work. None of us slack off because there is plenty of down time if you stay caught up.

 

I'm saving huge money on gas, commuter costs, food -- I used to eat at restaurants every day working in the city. I get more work done and overtime is no big deal because I'm at home.

[SixxChick]

I'm saving huge money on gas, commuter costs, food -- I used to eat at restaurants every day working in the city. I get more work done and overtime is no big deal because I'm at home.

 

I, too, work from home. Whenever the monotony starts to get to me, I think of what CommittedToThis said. Since it looks like we both live in Southern Cali, I have to remind myself of the ungodly traffic and rejoice that I am not on the freeways 3-4 hours a day to get to where I would have to go to make the money I make where I am.

 

Also, the luxury of rolling out of bed in boxer shorts and a t-shirt, no make up and tousled hair to immediately begin work is priceless! I'll often have my laptop in the kitchen and work while I prepare breakfast.

 

It does have it's ups and downs. You do need to stay focused, especially if you randomly decide to drop in a load of laundry (because you can). Or when isolation sets in, as someone mentioned in this thread, head to social media for ten minutes or so to break it up or communicate with someone on messenger. Sometimes I head out with a stack of work and be like one of those people you see in coffee shops staring at their devices. You have to learn how to compensate for the lack of personal contact. Actually, I don't mind it as in my profession, I deal with a lot of a-holes. LOL!

 

Personally, I wouldn't give it up for the world.

[georgia girl]

Thanks for the suggestions! I like the idea of completely separating personal and work functions on different computers. Where I run into trouble the most is my phone because both emails are on it and I don’t want to use two phones, but I may have to.

 

As others have said, I just don’t think I could go back. Working from home is amazing. Plus, I work part-time and that’s even better.

[Els]

I just started working from home after being off for many years as a SAHM. I'm finding it very hard to get & stay motivated to do actual work, and it's only about 20 hours/week. I don't have a home office so my main workspace is the kitchen table, TV stays off, I set the phone to go to VM to limit distractions, etc. Any other tips? I've actually thought about pausing my Facebook account at least for a few weeks, since that seems to be where the biggest trouble is.

 

Are you actually interested in the work that you do? I find myself doing the opposite, really - I need to actively tell myself, "Okay, I'm off for the day, stop checking work emails!"

 

I honestly think that if you're not genuinely interested in the work for itself, it would be much harder to work from home. Aside from that, I agree that you need to set aside blocks of time with no (or minimal) interruptions. I hate interruptions, but unfortunately sometimes there's just no way around them - however, this would be the case in the office, too.

[Els]

As you can probably tell, I love this life and can’t see myself ever going back to the traditional office life - though I like the one poster’s set up with office flexibility. The only thing I struggle with is work/life balance. I need to get better at shutting off work vs. the other way around. For example, I am constantly checking email and working nights/weekends, just because it’s there. Anyone have pointers on that?

 

Turning off my email notifications on my phone and desktop entirely (ergo, I only see my emails if I go to the email app in my browser) was a lifesaver for me. However, this works for me because I never get an email that is so urgent that I need to check it right now or the sky will fall - mine can always wait. If the nature of your job doesn't suit that, it might be more difficult.

 

I also have a separate browser for work (and specific programs). I try my utmost best to turn off all of them and not check anything after hours. I don't always succeed, though!

[Steve51]

I am retiring this summer and have worked from home for the last 15 years. I loved it until 8 years ago. My home office has two desks, 3 computers, a big screen TV with surround sound, a bar, Xbox, display cases for my collections and two amateur radios for talking around the world.

 

Up to 8 years ago I was living in the same place for a long time and although working from home, all of my friends were working the same hours as me so my social life was the same since none of my friends had anything to do with my work. I did become the forgotten employee at work though, but since I ran the IT department, I got to interface with employees when they had questions or problems. I am a senior corporate officer at work socializing with employees was never a thing for me.

 

Then we moved to a very large retirement community for 55+ 2,000 miles away from my office. We just wanted to get away from cold winters and high mortgages and taxes. That caused a serious problem with my social life since most of the people here socialize during working hours and are home by 9 pm. There are over 2,000 activities going on here. We span 3 counties and have close to 150,000 people living here. There are 36+ golf courses and more swimming pools. Name a restaurant chain and there is one located without our community. Lots to do but not for those working full time.

 

All in all working from home can be great if you already have an established network of friends that does not depend on work friends. It does get lonely at times. I tend to become chatty when people call me on the phone because other than my wife, there is no one to chat with during the day. The other issue I had was that my work and non work lives blended together. I did personal stuff at home during the day and worked at night and on weekends. I used the same phone number for work and personal use. I wear shorts and a tee shirt with sandals every day and do not even own a regular button shirt or suit/jacket.

 

I do not miss my 1 1/2 hour commute, each way, to work. My home office is right next to the kitchen. I can eat cooked meals and have an assortment of things to drink. Best of all I can sleep until 9am or later. What I found was that over time less and less people called me and I rarely have more than two days of work each month, having automated most of my tasks and moving all of our software to the cloud on leased servers. I have also reduced my days to only 3 a week. Still did not help since my wife has the car almost all day on Friday and that only left one day a week to do things and that is not enough to build friendships. So I am retiring.

 

One more negative is that if you are living with a loved one, be prepared to be interrupted many times during the day.

[Standard-Fare]

I agree with the above. When I worked from home, I found that I was prone to procrastinate more and oftentimes I'd get stuck working odd or long hours because of it, which was stressful.

 

I freelanced full-time for about four years and by the end I really didn't enjoy it. I found there were many days where I would not get out of my pajamas until lunchtime, or that I'd sit around in bed all day (even if I was working; curse of the laptop). Those things contributed to my anxiety and depression. About 18 months ago I went back to work full time and I love it. ....

 

I could have written the above; it strikes very close to home. The only difference is—I'm still stuck right in the middle of that rut.

 

I've been working mainly from home for the past 6+ years, which I cherished at first, but within the past year it's really lost its charm. As with you, @losangelena, I've found myself losing self-discipline and sinking into all sorts of bad habits. My work has suffered, and so has my mental health. Not to mention, health insurance and taxes have been a nightmare.

 

I'm currently looking for a regular full-time job. After having so much freedom, I'm positive I'll feel "caged," but I think it's for the best. Ideally, I find something that can transition into 1-2 days/week of remote work, so there can be a balance.

 

@losangeles, without going into personal detail, would you mind sharing how you made the transition? I seem to remember you are (were?) in the same line of work as me, writing/editing?

[caveman621]

I have worked from home for the last seven years. At first I thought I would hate it, but I love it! It does encourage going out in the evenings more. And i live with my fiancee and she works mostly half days so I can wander out and give her a kiss from time to time! And there are plenty of (too many?) skype meetings, so I "see" coworkers all the time.

 

The only thing is don't forget to stand up and walk around sometimes! Before I moved away from my now ex, I had a dog. So that would MAKE me get up and walk at least every couple of hours!

 

And I figure if I was in an office I would waste at least an hour or two chit-chatting with co-workers, so if I want to take a 45 minute "power nap" in the afternoon, I don't feel any guilt!

[georgia girl]

So, summer is here and I was waiting for this as my final “real test” about working from home. I am so amazed at how fantastic this is! Again, I am part time and I set my own hours, but the lifestyle is amazing. I hope I never have to go back. Getting up in the morning while it’s still cool and have a cup of coffee on the back deck, getting exercise regularly, cooking better and having the time to live an organized life has been amazing. Now that it has worked so well for me, my husband is considering doing the same and I really want it for both him and us. Then, we will be completely untethered. We can work anywhere and if we want to travel, no worries. Have laptop and phone.

 

In the past few months, I have taken some suggestions provided by others to create a little more definition between work and play. When the laptop is off and it’s not reasonable that I would need to respond to email, I don’t check it. I also use “out of office” more. Makes me feel less worried about not checking emails.

When I shut down at night, the laptop goes in my office. So, I am getting a lot better there.

 

Benefits to my husband and I have been plenty. I now do more of our household chores, making life easier on him. We eat so much more healthy and actually save money because we are not going out all of the time. My gardens look fantastic so my home’s curb appeal has improved. I am generally so much less stressed. My mom has gotten frail and I have been able to be there for her.

 

Other changes have been within me. I am so much more calm and relaxed. I sleep so much better! I am a better daughter, wife, sister and friend. It has truly been amazing. While I am working at half time, I am going to eventually go down to 1/3 time. I will let my husband make his transition first and we are going to finish our renovations. Then, I can see myself being able to do this until well past retirement age.

 

Tips I have come up with for people who may want to work from home:

 

1) Define what your marketable skill is. For me, it is writing and business consulting. That’s what you are selling - not what you are doing right now.

2) Make connections everywhere you go. There is an element of “who you know.” These don’t have to be high-profile connections, but rank-and-file people will share with you if their employer allows for working from home.

3) Take advantage of a virtual world. We like to do everything online anymore.

Get as much of your work virtual as you can. It helps to make the “work from home” argument.

4) Build anreasonable business plan if you want to work for yourself. Talks to other entrepreneurs and get advice.

5) If you are going to be self-employed, test the market by doing it part-time nights and weekends until you have reached critical mass. Yes, it means working more in the short-term, but the long game is your real goal.

[Els]

Happy to hear you've found a routine that works well for you, OP!

 

 

No changes for me career-wise, still very happy. I can definitely see myself doing this for the foreseeable future (though I would like to go and get my PhD at some point in life just for the sake of doing it, haha).

[georgia girl]

Thought it was time for a little update...

 

Another two months have passed and in that time, I lost my mom and also ended up traveling extensively for work. When my mom got so fragile, working from home and flexing my hours was amazing. Made life so much easier to be there for her, guilt free. I still miss her terribly and suppose I always will but I have this incredibly fond memory of washing her hair for her, styling it and putting on clean pajamas before bed. She was so content in that moment and I was able to give it to her.

 

The travel - being a consultant often means travel - did get a little too much in June and July. I spent 29 hours one week traveling! It’s slowing down again. I have one more trip this week and then no travel until September, so that is a huge relief. I would like to work it out in future to avoid the high peaks and valleys of travel as much as possible.

 

Other than that, learning a new job has been both challenging and fun. It feels like a puzzle I am still figuring out. Now that the end of summer is approaching, I am excited for canning season and having extra time to do those things. It does feel slightly sad that I won’t have mom here to do it with me, but I know she died knowing that I was happier and more content.

 

We are working on getting our house more organized and some home improvement projects now that my transition has happened and the travel is slowing down.

 

This just feels so right. Despite not having my mom, I am content. I had planned to post for about a year. Not sure or not if I will be back with an update.

[coolheadal]

Great responses from everyone!

 

I think what I am loving so much right now is the flexibility. I was feeling a little caged in my office. While I still have deadlines and responsibilities, the ability to tailor my day is great. Plus, I haven’t had the Sunday Blues since I started this.

 

I also love working in jeans - no PJ work for me, I can’t do it - and the ability to run to the fridge. Believe it or not, I have not gained weight since I do eat healthier at home. I also love that working part-time means more time for friends and family.

 

However, I can also see the points being made from the other side as I did this once before in my career and went back to an office. Thanks for a great

Discussion. Keep it coming!

 

I've ran 4 self starter business from my home here. I also worked for large FiOS company from home and supported CA, Texas Western FL Interview process was easy over Skype the interview was at home also. LOL Everyone was at home also. The only problem with doing job from home is who the heck to you complain about not getting paid for work done over time by their department manager. I got a Top Class Action Lawsuit last year took 6 months to be processed and completed. I won the case and got paid for missing hours. I wouldn't even dream going through that again. There are companies where you go into the office and say you can work at home via VPN using RSA Secured ID Keyfob or fob. That's another way to do it. But it can work with the right company. Let them pay for the computer you will need.

[Els]

Thought it was time for a little update...

 

Another two months have passed and in that time, I lost my mom and also ended up traveling extensively for work. When my mom got so fragile, working from home and flexing my hours was amazing. Made life so much easier to be there for her, guilt free. I still miss her terribly and suppose I always will but I have this incredibly fond memory of washing her hair for her, styling it and putting on clean pajamas before bed. She was so content in that moment and I was able to give it to her.

 

The travel - being a consultant often means travel - did get a little too much in June and July. I spent 29 hours one week traveling! It’s slowing down again. I have one more trip this week and then no travel until September, so that is a huge relief. I would like to work it out in future to avoid the high peaks and valleys of travel as much as possible.

 

Other than that, learning a new job has been both challenging and fun. It feels like a puzzle I am still figuring out. Now that the end of summer is approaching, I am excited for canning season and having extra time to do those things. It does feel slightly sad that I won’t have mom here to do it with me, but I know she died knowing that I was happier and more content.

 

We are working on getting our house more organized and some home improvement projects now that my transition has happened and the travel is slowing down.

 

This just feels so right. Despite not having my mom, I am content. I had planned to post for about a year. Not sure or not if I will be back with an update.

 

 

Very sorry to hear about your mum, GG.

 

Probably pointless for me to update so soon, but I'm still lovin' it. Wedding planning would be MUCH more difficult if I didn't have this sort of flexibility in schedule, it's insane how early all the Saturday appointments for dress shopping, fittings etc book out!

[georgia girl]

As this has become my journal...

 

A little less than 10 months in but I am still loving life. The travel is ramping up again for the next six weeks, but will settle down mid-October and then will stay settled through the end of the year. For the second straight year, I plan to take off the two weeks of Christmas and New Year’s and also plan on being off Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of Thanksgiving. So, good stuff there.

 

Mostly, what I really am learning to love - and something I have not emphasized before - is the part-time status. Having at least a three-day weekend every weekend is nice. On Thursday evening, I can literally feel myself unwinding around 5 pm. It’s like my body knows the pressure is off.

 

It’s also just great being home everyday. I really love being home. I love just hunkering down at home, no distractions or workplace intrigue. It’s very calm and I think that, more than anything, let’s me focus on my life outside of work. My emotional energy isn’t drained by human manufactured disasters and it allows me greater time and capacity for the things that matter.

 

I so wish I had my mom here to enjoy this with. That is my only regret - that I didn’t do this a year or two earlier. It would have been amazing to spend this time with her. However, I am really enjoying the time with my husband and sisters, so that is great.

[skywriter]

As this has become my journal...

 

A little less than 10 months in but I am still loving life. The travel is ramping up again for the next six weeks, but will settle down mid-October and then will stay settled through the end of the year. For the second straight year, I plan to take off the two weeks of Christmas and New Year’s and also plan on being off Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of Thanksgiving. So, good stuff there.

 

Mostly, what I really am learning to love - and something I have not emphasized before - is the part-time status. Having at least a three-day weekend every weekend is nice. On Thursday evening, I can literally feel myself unwinding around 5 pm. It’s like my body knows the pressure is off.

 

It’s also just great being home everyday. I really love being home. I love just hunkering down at home, no distractions or workplace intrigue. It’s very calm and I think that, more than anything, let’s me focus on my life outside of work. My emotional energy isn’t drained by human manufactured disasters and it allows me greater time and capacity for the things that matter.

 

I so wish I had my mom here to enjoy this with. That is my only regret - that I didn’t do this a year or two earlier. It would have been amazing to spend this time with her. However, I am really enjoying the time with my husband and sisters, so that is great.

 

 

 

georgia girl, I am so glad you're enjoying working at home and just being at home in your calm space. However, I mostly wanted to offer my apologies for not seeing that you lost your beloved mother in May. I know how hard that is and as a caregiver I've experienced this throughout the years with many families.

 

On a happier note, you do have many wonderful memories to hold in your heart and as you mentioned time well spent with your husband and sisters.

[preraph]

I mostly work for myself at home, but I also do have a really small part-time morning on-call job to get me out of the house. I love being in my office overlooking the back yard, like right now, and being able to fully engage with my dogs and do laundry at the same time. I still like to mix with people at the office just so I don't get afraid to mix with people. That CAN happen. My sister is such a recluse. I swear, she'd never leave her home if that was an option. It's funny because she was in the hospital for a long time and around people constantly there and when she got out, she was way more outgoing and wanted to go out to eat and invite me over for TV and things. But now she's really reclusive.

 

I go out to eat for lunch quite a few days of the week to get myself out and make myself dress up a little and mix with people.

[Dodgersfan11]

God, You are sooo lucky! I would love to work from home, as far as social interaction no one needs that interaction from co-workers, listen to gossip or having to put up with drama or office politics. Gross.

[Cheri Vega]

Working from home is the best, and it's less stressful. All I have to do to earn triple of the pay of my previous job is to sit with my computer and reply, filter and process emails for a tech company. Now I have all the time and more money to take good care of my children and my mom.

[preraph]

When you work at home, you need pets, and it's the best situation for pets, too. That's the great thing about it. I felt so bad being gone all day in the past and felt like my pets were neglected, and they were, even though I usually came home for lunch long enough to appear before them. I also felt like I didn't really live anywhere. Working at home, you really feel like you have a real home. My friends work days through the week mostly but I've always been used to going to lunch alone and things like that. I make friends wherever I eat out if I go regularly and it doesn't bother me.

[georgia girl]

Thank you, Skywriter. I will always miss her - particularly around the holidays - but I keep a part of her with me always.

 

Working from home is a lot of thing Prereph said. It’s so much more calm and quiet. And so much more control over my days. I don’t feel like I go into a cage for 8-9 hours a day anymore. I feel like I have total flexibility with my days and the quiet of working from home settles me down. I feed off of other people’s energy and while that is just as often a good thing; it’s a bad thing as well.

 

To me, working from home means simplicity. A vastly slower pace of life - I work part time. It means focusing more on my husband, my pet (thanks Prereph), our families and our home. We eat better. House is cleaner. Life is calm.

 

I really don’t think I could go back.

 

Elswyth, hows the wedding planning going?

[Els]

 

 

Elswyth, hows the wedding planning going?

 

 

We're married now! I can't say the day went without hiccups, but it still went beautifully.

 

 

Thanks for remembering.

[eleanorrigby]

So, I posted awhile back about leaving my old organization and taking a job where I would largely work from home. It has now been about two months of working from home and I absolutely love it. Some of the things I was most afraid of - isolation and lack of social interaction - haven’t come true. I do have to work harder to be social in my personal life now, but that’s actually better.

 

So, LSers with experience, what do you like most and least about working from home? I am so looking forward to summer when I can really enjoy this experience! (I should also mention I am working part-time as well.)

 

I love it. I'm never going to work out of the home again.

I work when I feel like it, and it's so freeing, I could never, ever go back to a situation where I'm expected to clock in and work for a set amount of time.

[some_username1]

Does anyone in this thread find they get judged negatively by some people for working entirely from home?

 

I have found a trend of late in online dating that when I tell the woman I am talking to that my job is working from home as a programmer they unmatch me right then and there. It's happened a good 5 or 6 times now and it's got me a bit concerned. Generally programming (although equated with nerds with poor social skills) is looked upon as a worthy vocation that requires intelligence by other women I chat to so I'm not convinced that is the issue and that it's more likely some kind of stigma they associate with people (or maybe just men) who work out of their home. Although I like working from home the idea that it might be hindering my dating opportunities is really starting to put me off it and consider going back to some soul destroying corporate office like my last role

[preraph]

I don't know why they would. I mean, someone who's been married before and also worked at home might say, That won't work, us both being home. But I'd think anyone who thought about having kids would like it because you'd have a bit more flexibility to help out with the children.

 

I guess it is possible they see it as antisocial or something, or maybe unambitious, but in this day and age, things are going more and more that direction. I'm thinking more likely this is not what it's about and they're mostly falling out for other reasons.

[georgia girl]

Does anyone in this thread find they get judged negatively by some people for working entirely from home?

 

I have found a trend of late in online dating that when I tell the woman I am talking to that my job is working from home as a programmer they unmatch me right then and there. It's happened a good 5 or 6 times now and it's got me a bit concerned. Generally programming (although equated with nerds with poor social skills) is looked upon as a worthy vocation that requires intelligence by other women I chat to so I'm not convinced that is the issue and that it's more likely some kind of stigma they associate with people (or maybe just men) who work out of their home. Although I like working from home the idea that it might be hindering my dating opportunities is really starting to put me off it and consider going back to some soul destroying corporate office like my last role

 

I am married so I wouldn’t necessarily see the dating aspects of it but I have to say that anyone I have shared my working situation with has been slightly envious (not that I am looking for envy, merely an observation). Sometimes in dating, we hit a rough patch and I would be more inclined to chalk it up to that.