February 1, 2012
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Working from Home
I’ve been working from my home a lot now. I don’t have a permanent office desk anymore. Sometimes I’ll drive into the head office for my meetings. There’s a section for folks like us who don’t have a permanent desk. Mostly though I go to a smaller office downtown and work from there if I have a lot of phone calls to make. There are lots of advantages working from home. I’ve cut down on how much I spend on meals and coffee. I can sleep in a bit late. I can do laundry during the day but I have to time it carefully. While I haven’t done this yet, I think I can make things like stews and soups which doesn’t require a lot of attention. The best part is I don’t have to commute up and down the highway. I dress like a slob, I don’t shave but I’ve never worked in my undies.
The downside is that I still work long hours (believe it or not). I tend to eat more because the fridge is so convenient. Because I have dinner early on most days, I have this craving for a late night snack around 11PM. Oh my gawd… and that’s when you folks put out your food porn for me to enjoy. There are days when I don’t even leave my condo especially when it’s snowing hard or raining hard. That means some days I don’t even have a face to face conversation with another human. If I go downstairs to get my mail, that will be the only human interaction I have all day. So I try to make that “Good morning!” count. I might even slip in a “How’s your day so far?”.
I think I’ll need a better chair and maybe invest in a monitor & keyboard as well. I thought I could manage working from my laptop all the time but it’s tough on the neck. But tomorrow, I have to go to the office. So I better make sure I have some clean underwear.
Comments (36)
I work from home most of the time and one thing that did surprise me was how much we actually work while home. A lot of times I don’t feel like my work day ends!
This post is such a reminder for how one must find a balance between it all (Work, Home, and actually having some kind of social life.)
I’m home all the time. I miss the social interaction.
You will too, it is more important than most folks realize.
Good luck bud.
I wish I could work at home more often too! But I’ll miss the human interaction for sure!
Dude, working from home means you don’t need to get dressed. That and the 10 second “commute” are the best parts. For me, the not seeing anyone else is an added bonus.
I wish I can work from home
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I love working from home because sometimes work doesn’t feel like work. But the downside is you can completely lose track of time, and look outside to see the night sky and wonder where the heck the day went.
Not being from Canada, I forget that it’s Winter and that places have snow during the winter months. Yay for the sleeping in later though… but boo for long work days
Another downside would be work + home joined together so there’s like no escaping work.
I worked from home for the last 7 years of my career — it was ok because in outside sales I always saw people — the downside for me was that work was always just in the next room. I’d come home from a long day at work, and there were 100 e-mails and follow-up paperwork to be done before the next day. I ended up working 16-hour days way too often! Be strict with yourself about turning it off!
I always wondered how it would be to work at home. I would, however, get in trouble for doing my job at home =/
dude how fun!!!! i wished i could work from home.. haahah but i get what you mean from the drudge.. must be boring.. and you have fb and tinychat to cam with
DDDD hope it gets better. 
If your not sure about wearing undies, just go commando. You’ll get more attention that way and its something a cave dweller of a guy like you may need from time to time.
My employer doesn’t allow home office (at least not in the field offices), but sometimes I really wish I would be allowed to do it. I wouldn’t want it on a permanent basis because the exchange with colleagues is sometimes beneficial.
@slmret - True. Even having a separate “office” in the end means that work is just in the next room. I think in the end, one puts a lot more hours in than one would in the office, esp. on weekends.
I have the option to work from home as well. I find it really awesome but since I work US hours I just end up dosing off most of the time so I don’t do it often lately. And man you haven’t tried WFH in just your undies? hehehe
Being an introvert, I would miss the social communication. I have never had a job where I have had to work from home. I think I might like it – once I put a padlock on the refrigerator.
Won’t working from home so often makes you feel like you never get off work?
And yeah, get out a bit more, and get a desktop with comfy chair and table and keyboard, your back and eye will be thankful : P
I had left a comment ( a long one ) this morning, but for some reason it wouldn’t go through.
I agree with Janet. Don’t wear yourself thin with stress and work at home. You need to turn off that switch after about 8 hours of work.
Now say ” Ok mother!”
i am doing similar thing as well~ poke*
Asian.
I can relate to this as I decided to take all my classes online this semester. There are times when I feel the work will never end because there is just so much to do, and since I am doing everything from home I tend work slightly slower than I did when I went to class in person.
I wish I can work from home. I am sick and tired of getting up early and going to work…really no motivation at all!
it’s one of my longings to be able to work at home. i LOVE staying at home even during weekends when i have plenty of time to go out and about. maybe cause i just get tired of the idea of having to go out every day and spend many hours at the office. i don’t know, maybe i’ll feel differently when i have to spend so many hours at home on daily basis.
OK, some people’s comments, like @slmret ‘s, have really turned me off the idea of working at home!
I live on the first floor and work on the ground floor- as a designer with my own studio, it works great because I can work whenever I feel like. But, the flip side is that I have no discipline and I end being so darn lazy.
So do you prefer working at home, or in the office? I freaking hate driving in bad weather. January is not a terrific month to start driving.
@Roadlesstaken - it’s true. I heard about this before I started to work from home and didn’t think it was possible. I find it easier to “get a head start on my day” or “stay online just a bit longer to finish a task”. And I wonder where the hours go…
@nov_way - you’re right – balance is the key and that is not easy for me.
@Bricker59 - that’s why I find myself heading to the office at least once every two weeks (sometimes once a week). But a lot of my colleagues work from home too (and are in different cities).
@CurryPuffy - the informal hallway chats and poking your head into someone’s office for a quick discussion is what I miss. I also miss the “let’s go grab a coffee” too.
@supanamja - I still get dressed – nothing fancy or formal. Sometimes a tshirt and a pair of khaki shorts but never in my undies. I don’t miss driving in the winter time at all.
@kev1nccho1 - I’m fortunate that my job allows for it. Some of the people in my company work at a client site which can be a big pain.
@Closure_Theory - fortunately my desk is beside the window and I try to shut things down between 5:30 to 6PM and break for dinner. I do work late about 3 or 4 nights out of the week though.
@Devilzgaysianboi - you’re right, there is no boundary so I have to try and discipline myself and impose boundaries. It’s not easy for me.
@slmret - I can relate to those 16 hour days although I never had a sales position. I can’t imagine what it is like coming home and working another shift.
@sonychak - lol… yes, you would get into trouble.
@radio03 - actually I don’t go on any social networking sites when I’m working (especially at the office). They track everything.
@The_Eyes_Of_A_Painter - omg… hahahaha. I’ll have to make sure I don’t spill any of my hot coffee or tea on myself.
@beowulf222 - I think for some people who are in the right role and have the environment, it can help – even if it’s working a day a week at home. I would hate to commute in bad weather and just sit there in the highway. Or if I’m just heads down writing a report, it can be productive (not heads down dozing off).
@oxyGENE_08 - hahahaha… no Gene, I haven’t tried wfh in my undies. Although I’m usually dressed like a slob at home.
@Fatcat723 - I agree with you on the padlock to the fridge. That and the futon in the living room are my two worst enemies.
@manmantong2000 - the chair I want (Herman Miller) costs big bucks. I’ll have to find something comparable that I can afford. As long as I can set boundaries and ruthlessly manage my time, I should be ok. But there are days (especially if I’m behind) that I work long hours.
@ZSA_MD - ok mother.
I did go for a nice walk walk at 5:30 after work today.
@ayu_motosan - do you have enough space and light to do your work? *pokes back*
@unflii - I can understand the lack of boundaries between school / work and home. It’s something I’m working on to be more aware of.
@dolphin27 - I have slept in a few times although I want to be a more consistent morning person. I hope things are going well Patrick.
@rudyhou - what do you like doing at home to relax?
@stepaside_loser - I think as long as you can manage your time and set boundaries, it’s not that bad. I spend less money on gas and food. In theory I should have more time for the gym (in theory…).
@Dezinerdreams - I remember one of your entries about being late for work – lol.
@secade - I like both environments. I live in a condo in a busy and loud neighbourhood so sometimes being in an office is great. I also have neighbours that like to clean, renovate, there’s construction crews fixing roads etc… so the distraction can be crazy.
@ElusiveWords - it’s got nothing to do with what i can do at home. it’s more about being in an environment that i can truly feel comfortable and also have the flexibility to do other things that otherwise i won’t be able to do if i work in an office.
If you’re going to be working longer term fro home, definitely invest in a large (17″ or more) monitor, good monitor stand (I can make one for you – ha ha), and ergonomically correct chair and keyboard. It makes a huge different in back and eye strain.
@christao408 - I’m on the hunt for a chair right now. The ones in the offices are great with adjustable height, back, arm rests (height and width). I can’t afford those Herman Miller chairs though. I also try to get up and move around frequently (sometimes a bit too frequently).
Herman Miller!!!
@yang1815 - cha ching!
sounds glorious to be able to work from home. i did that once in my life, and i ended up having difficulty keeping a regular work and sleep hours. i wasn’t disciplined enough to be as productive at home.
@ElusiveWords - It’s worth it~