I've been working from home for a little over two weeks now, and let me tell you, I absolutely love it. One thing I don't love is the perception people have of working from home. I often hear, "Oh, you must get so much housework done during the day" or "How does lunch at 2pm sound? Since you work from home, you can make it, right?". Last time I checked, the term "working from home" meant that you actually worked, while home. Maybe I'm crazy......
Things I hear or get asked on a daily basis:
"Oh, so what time do you get up?"
Surprisingly, earlier than I did when I worked in my office. I don't know if it's the atmosphere of living somewhere we really love, or what, but Will and I are both waking up earlier than we used to. Just because I work from home doesn't mean I get to sleep in, lounge around, and maybe get some work done. I'm in my office, behind my computer between 7:30am and 7:45am.
"So, you've got time to do that, right?"
I mainly hear this from people I volunteer for or my husband. I work normal business hours, just like everyone else. Just because I work from home doesn't mean I get to choose my hours, or do whatever I want.
"So, what do you do all day?"
Work. What else? I'm not sure why people think because I work from home I don't "work" during the day. I actually work more at home than I did at the office. Let me explain.
At the office, you have the social aspect of an office; where at home, you don't. I find myself getting more done during the day at home than I did when I worked in the office. Yes, I have distractions like letting the dogs outside or answering the door to greet the mailman who I'm pretty sure hates me (due to the amount of packages we've been receiving since we moved in) but otherwise, I stay pretty focused on work. I can turn my music on and really just zone out on my work. I love it.
However, there are many concerns about working from home.
Will I be able to deal with it emotionally?
Many people don't have the personality of working from home, or maybe they need the social interaction of an office environment. This was something I worried about at first, but soon realized, it's right up my alley. I'm an only child and an oilfield wife. These two things have one specific thing in common; being alone. I never had a sister or brother around the house 24/7 so I never really got that "I need people around me" feeling. Yes, I enjoy people but I don't need to be surrounded all the time. Being an oil field wife is the same thing; yes we have a husband but he's gone a lot. When Will and I lived in Midland, we rarely saw eachother, had dinner together, or watched a show together. He worked 80+ hours a week and I was socially active.
Yes, I miss the people I worked with in my office, don't get me wrong. However, I really enjoy being alone during the day with my dogs. Now that Will isn't working 80+ hours a week, we have a lot more time together, which means I don't have the alone time I used to. Working from home gives me that.
I'll just finish this then I'll stop.
This is something I find myself saying often. One thing I never thought about when considering working from home was "Will I be able to separate home and work?". I never thought I would have this problem, to be honest. But now, I find that I do.
Say it's 6pm on a weeknight and my office hours are 8am to 5pm. I'm sitting on the couch, watching a show with Will, and my work phone rings. Do I get up and answer it or let it go to voicemail and check it tomorrow? Of course, I end up getting up and answering it. This is something I've found myself doing more than I'd like to admit.
I also find myself working later than I did when I worked in my office. Will may be working late and I honestly lose track of time. I eventually look up and see that it's way past closing time. This is something that happens when I say to myself, "Oh...I'll just finish this then stop." Yeah, right. That never happens. I always end up getting caught up in whatever I'm doing and do more than I said I would.
This is something I have to figure out myself. I have to learn to close the doors, literally, to my home office and let them be shut. Stop answering the phone after hours, stop working past 5pm, and let home time, be home time.
Am I missing out on anything?
This may go along with the first paragraph, of dealing with working from home emotionally. My office is a very social office. The girls normally get together in the break room and have fun morning chats, go to lunch together, or even get drinks after work. This is something I've dealt with, and it's hard. I used to go to lunch with someone every day at work. Now, I often find myself going to the grocery store, preparing dinner for tonight, or unpacking boxes that we still have taped up. I'm sure once I get everything unpacked, meet all the people on my street, or meet friends in the area with the same lunch time as me, it'll get easier.
Sorry for such a long post, this is something I've really been thinking about and decided to stop working, on time, and do this instead. Do you work from home? What do you find most difficult about it? What do you enjoy most? I'd love to hear.
Happy Fort Worth Greetings! :)
