- If the shoe fits…Image by greinarr via Flickr
- For this week’s Because I Said So, MommaDJane and I are going to discuss: the difference between Work From Home and Work Outside of the Home and what our preference.
I have done both work from home and work away from home. Each has plenty of pluses and minuses. When I was unemployed, I did contract work out of the house. Never again! My wife and I now know that for me to work, it would be better if I left the house.
As much as we enjoyed being around each other for three months, I am more productive out of the house. There are all sorts of articles written about how to succeed working from home and they all suggest having a separate space with a door that closes. I 100% agree. I made the mistake of trying to freelance from the recliner.
I love spending time around my family. I loved being able to take breaks and being available to take my daughter to school. I loved the ability to watch T.V. and work at the same time. All that was great but if I am being honest, it caused more problems then it was worth.
I had/have a hard time turning work off. I need a physical separation (i.e. location) from work. I was checking email at all hours. I was working randomly and always behind. Rushing to meet deadlines. On top of all that, I was not having anytime with my family.
As much as I would love to work for myself or work from home, I don’t think it is for me. That is not to say if the opportunity ever arose again that I would not be open to it. I would just have to follow some rules.
- Have my own space with a door that I could close.
- Keep hours. Work from 8a-4:30p with an hour for lunch.
- No freelancing from the recliner.
Right now, I work outside the home and love it. I love the people I know at work and the friendships I am developing. I love the friendships that I maintain from my previous jobs. Heck, I met my wife at work. All that because I worked outside the house.  I love that I can leave work and turn it off. To be fair, I sometimes have a hard time leaving work once I a there but I chalk that up to being new in position and wanting to succeed.
All in all you kind of have to figure out what works best for you. Weigh the pros and cons and figure out what you want. Each one comes with sacrifices, you just have to decide which one is the best fit for you.
Have you ever worked from home? Do you wish you did? Do you work out of the house? Have you done both? Which way works for you?
I know MommaDJane has done both, I am going to check out what she has to say about it all. Why don’t you join me?
Have a topic or question you would like to hear our views on? Have you always wanted to hear both sides of a topic or answers to a question, unbiased? You can submit topics or questions via comments or even anonymously to buckdaddy@buckdaddyblog.com. We will pick questions at random and blog on one topic per week.
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{ 3 comments }
I am an old pro at working from home. I have done so for the last 8 (give or take) years. A lot of people envy me because of it. But I find that I am much more productive in a traditional work/office setting. That traditional setting can be a room in your house, but you have to maintain the notion of “going to work”. Otherwise you will find yourself way too distracted to be productive. I had the luxury (for 6 or so years) to live in a nice home with a quiet “away from family”-space that I worked in. This was brilliant, me and the spouse got up in the morning and we both “went to work”. She’d leave the house, I would go to the other room. When I was forced, due to life changes, to have my “office” in the same room as my living room, my productivity went to hell in a hand basket. So much so, that I now favor going to our corporate office to “go to work”. I can still go to work without shaving, but I can leave stuff behind at the office. Also there is no dog, laundry, or what have you to distract me. Anda lot has to be said for interfacing with your co-workers. I can actually hear them laugh instead of just seeing *LOL* in an instant message client.
.-= SWB´s last blog ..Zombie stuff. =-.
I spent 6 years freelance writing from home and it wasn’t so bad when Drama Queen was in school, but during summers and school holidays it was a royal pain in the ass!
Good luck with your Hot Blogger voting. It would be an honor to be on the calendar with you!
I have worked from home for over five years (full time for the same PA company), and had it all figured out well. We had Cole two months ago, and it has been a real challenge re-learning how to make it all work. We travel a lot, so there’s not the same ability to get to my own work room, and honestly, I’m not sure I would want that anyway, since I am not used to that.
Working from home really does work for me. I can’t honestly imagine going back to a 9-5 at this point, I’m institutionalized.
.-= Drew´s last blog ..Hump Day Stretch! =-.
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