From the article: 8 Reasons for Working at Home
Working from home isn't for everybody, but most of us who do work out of our homes wouldn't have it any other way. When it comes to working from home, everyone does it a little bit differently and for different reasons. Tell others why you enjoy working from home. Share Your Reasons
Easier On My Body
- I have severe chronic pain, migraines, myofacial disease....anyways, working from home is much easier for me because I'm in my surroundings with little or no distractions. Less stress means it's easier to do cope with my pain. That's a good thing.
- —Guest berrymorin
doing two things you love
- I love to work at home because I love my job, and I love to look after my family.
- —Guest maureen
Almost Everything
- I love just about everything about working from home. I love the flexibility for myself and for my family. I like being able to do fun things with my kids. I like being my own boss. I like not having to wear business clothes. I could go on and on... no commute, no packing lunches, no passive aggressive co-workers...
- —modChristy
Life doesn't pass me by...
- I enjoy being able to strike a balance between work and real life. Sometimes that means I'm free to go to the school play and sometimes it means I work late rather than go to the park. But I control that flexibility. My bosses won't know that I did my work at 2 a.m. or even remember my work, but my kids will remember that I came to school to eat lunch with them.
- —Guest Robin
Control of My Schedule
- I can control my own schedule, working intensely when I am in a productive mood, and going on errands and gardening when I feel like getting away from my desk.
- —childrensbooksADM
Working Away from Home
- The best thing about working from home is having the option to work away from home. I spend most of my workweek in my home office, but I make a point to leave for a coffee shop, library, or other wi-fi-friendly venue for a couple hours at least once a week. Regular offices usually frown on two-hour coffee breaks, even if you do take your laptop with you and answer emails while you're there.
- —Guest kristenhg
No commute!
- I hate traffic, so not having to commute to work is terrific for me. It's also wonderful to be able to work at all hours. If I want to work until midnight, I can, without having to worry about falling asleep on the drive home.
- —Guest SusanAdcox
No traffic!
- I used to have to take the Washington Beltway to work every day. A drive that would take 15 minutes normally would take an hour and a half during rush hour, and the people were so awful and nasty that I felt drained an angry every day. It was awful. Working from home, I have a 30 second commute, and I can spend all of that time that used to be wasted in anger in frustration, finishing up my work so I can have more time for myself and my family.
- —Guest Sandra
Flexibility for kids
- I love being able to run to my daughter's school for a quick volunteer job (15-20 min, 2x/week). Same goes for snow days and sick days--I can be home with kids and still get some work done (not as much as a regular day, but better than nothing).
- —FamilyFitness
Best things about working from home...
- You can multitask to the nth degree, including getting the school party cupcakes into the oven or the laundry going, which only takes moment to set up and then takes care of itself while you work. Now that I'm only working from home sporadically, those things dominate my weekends. :-(
- —parentingyoungadults
Fewer distractions!
- I know that everyone always says that it's hard to work at home because there are so many distractions (phone, doorbell, kids etc) but personally, I find that the office is way more distracting -- with people dropping by, meetings that break up the day, water cooler chatting. My kids are older now, so they are able to get their own snacks and occupy themselves after they get home from school until I am done with work. While they are in school, it's 6 hours of uninterrupted time -- and I find it's much easier to focus.
- —Guest Susan
You make your own hours
- I've been a freelance writer for many years and I love the fact that I can make my own hours by working at home. It's also great that there are no distractions. I love being my own boss and if there is down time, I don't have to pretend that I'm working because someone's looking over my shoulder. Since I get paid more when I work more, I'm probably more productive than I'd be if I were in an office. The one thing to remember is that you really need to have discipline when you're your own boss. There's the temptation to want to tackle house-related chores, but if you give yourself a set time to do your paid work... and also specific times for your "unpaid work" .. i.e., cleaning the house and raising the kids, etc., working at home is a wonderful option.
- —Linda.longisland
The best thing...
- Right now I'm in my jammies! :) And the other day it was gorgeous outside, so I sat on the porch with my laptop and worked (porch=shade=can still see laptop screen). I looked at the mountains and fields around me in my remote mountaintop home and thought how lucky I am to be able to do this. I also love the flexibility to get long, slow-cooking foods going and run laundry through the machine during the day. Today I'm starting a big batch of that "artisan bread in 5 minutes a day" bread and also a big pot of beans for supper.
- —laurenware
