The COVID-19 pandemic has definitely impacted the way people work. For sure, many jobs that required its workers to go to the office each day are now being allowed to work remotely. This is one of the few good things that has come from the pandemic. It has forced companies and employees alike to experience how working from home is good for both parties. Hopefully work places will continue to offer employees the opportunity to continue to work from home even after the pandemic is over.
Ways in Which Working from Home is Good
In many instances, working from home is a good thing. There are just so many conveniences available to you at home that your workplace may not offer. It might take some adjusting at first. But chances are you will be able to make things work out in the end. Below are a few areas in which I believe working from home is beneficial.
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You Have Less Distractions When Working from Home
When you are in the office, you likely don’t have much control over who comes by your work area to talk to you or someone near you. Even if you have an office, the conversations held outside your door may sometimes become distracting. Sure, closing the door is an option. However, you might not like to send the message that you are annoyed by others’ presence.
Working from home, you have more control over the noises of your environment. Even if there are others in your home, you may feel more comfortable asking them to lower their voices. You might also feel comfortable closing the door or taking necessary steps to reduce environmental noise.
You Are Able to Take Care of Personal Matters More Freely When Working from Home
It is not unusual to have personal matters to take care of. For example, on any given day you may need to make doctor appointments or home maintenance appointments. If you are at work, it might feel a bit awkward making these sorts of appointments. After all, you may not want your colleagues to overhear the reason for your medical appointment, or the fact that you are trying to make an appointment to have pest control come to your home, for example. Therefore, a good thing about working from home is that you would be able to take care of these types of phone calls without such type of awkwardness.
Even going to the bathroom is a more comfortable experience at home than if you need to physically go to work. This is especially if you drink a lot of fluids. In this case, if you need to go to work you might feel self-conscious about the need to make frequent bathroom trips. If you work at home, however, you don’t have to worry about little things like this.
You Don’t Have to Commute When Working from Home
Perhaps one of the best things of working from home is that you don’t have to commute. This is especially true if your workplace is located far from where you live. But even if it isn’t, working from home means you can skip the traffic each day.
If you drive, it means you don’t have to worry about finding parking. It also means you don’t have to worry about defrosting your car in cold mornings, or worry about driving in the snow or rain. If you commute by train or bus, it means you don’t have to spend time waiting for your transportation. And, if you bike or go to work walking, you do not expose yourself to wind, water, and rain on a daily basis.
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You Save Money When Working from Home
Although you might need to make an initial investment to create a work station for yourself, in the long run working from home is good because it can save you money.
First of all, you will save money that is associated with your daily commute. If you drive to work you won’t need to pay that much for gas or tolls. If you go to work via public transportation, you can save on you fares. And if you bike or walk to work, you will save on bike maintenance or shoe expenses, respectively.
You are also more likely to spend less on money since you can eat more home prepared meals. What if you previously took your own lunch to work? Well, you probably are guilty of buying coffee or snakes from time to time to keep you through the day.
While these expenses seem small, over time they add up. If you now work from home, you can invest the money you previously spend when going to work in making your home office more tailored to your needs. Or you can simply invest it in whatever other way you see fit.
You Have a More Flexible Schedule When Working from Home
If you work at home, you likely have a little more flexibility in terms of how your day goes. Sure, you might have to present at a particular time for meetings. And you might be expected to work particular hours. But if for some reason you need to take care of something, it is easier to make up the difference at a time that is more convenient.
You Can Work More Comfortably When Working from Home
Another good thing about working from home is that you can work in the manner that is most comfortable for you. For example, you may feel most comfortable and productive working while reclined on your bed or sofa. Alternately, you may have a preference to work while sitting for part of the day and then to work by standing the rest of the day. Unless you work requires you to be in a particular position all day, it is much easier to change positions and locations as you wish while at home compared to while at work.
At home, you can also more easily ensure that you have a comfortable environment. For example, you can adjust the heat or air conditioning as you wish. You can also turn the light on and off per your preference. And if certain types of music help you perform better work, you can put such music while you work without being a nuisance to anyone else.
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How Working from Home is Not Good
Admittedly, there are some situations that might cause individuals to not enjoy working from home. There are some instances where working from home can simply not work out. However, many of the barriers to working from home can be overcome or ameliorated.
Your Home Environment is Noisy
If you have children in your home, working from home might not be good for you. This is also true if you live in an apartment building where people put loud music or speak very loudly. After all, these circumstances will likely make it harder for you to concentrate.
Of course, these distractions might be less than those you would experience in the workplace. And you might be able to come up with ways to decrease the impact of these distractions to you. For instance, you might use noise reducing earmuffs or music that drains out external noise.
Your Home is Cramped
Working from home might also not be good for you is you live in a small space. A small space would limit the number of places where you could work. This situation would be aggravated if there are more people at your home during work hours. A small space would also mean that you don’t have a change of scenery or a way to stretch your legs during your breaks.
This might not be a problem if you have a specific space in your home where you perform your work. For example, a small space might not be a problem so long as you are able to set up a work space in which you are comfortable. This could be in a corner of your bedroom, or even in a closet.
In terms of getting a change of scenery and stretching during breaks, you can also find solutions to that. That may be taking a quick walk outside your home. Or you can find out that simply looking out the window and stretching or running in place will work for you.
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You Lack Structure in Your Life
In order to be successful at working from home, you need to be able to structure you days. This means that you need to be able to set goals for yourself and follow through with them. Having structure in your life is important regardless of whether you commute to work or work from home.
If you don’t establish and stick to a certain routine and structure, sooner or later you will feel depressed and that your life is out of control. However, it arguably becomes even more important when you work from home. This is because it is easier to be lax about structure if there are no external factors forcing you to do certain things.
One of the best things you can do to create structure at work is to keep an organized office space. You also want to make sure that you work space is paper-free and uncluttered. Force yourself to keep things tidy to increase your productivity and positivity.
Also, make sure you make time to exercise and adopt an environment that is good for your health. For example, make sure to have a good ergonomic office chair and to perform exercises that help your body healthy. Sitting for long periods of time can negatively affect your health, especially that of your back. Your hands also need to be taken care of as to not develop ailments such as carpal tunnel syndrome or tendonitis.
So be sure to ensure that you get sufficient exercise in the week, and that you eat well and get sufficient sleep. Without these things, your body will start to experience negative consequences over time. It is in your power to make your health a priority.
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Conclusion to Working from Home
Working from home is a good experience for most people. Some of these common benefits are no commute time, less distractions, and increased savings, comfort, freedom, and flexibility. Of course, these benefits might not be true for everyone, or at least not all the time. Nonetheless, these are just a few of the benefits of working from home.
Even if there are challenges to working from home, they need not necessarily be deal breakers. After all, you can learn to adapt to these challenges or take steps to make them more manageable. For example, you can ensure things are well organized, and identify spaces in your home to be productive as well as to relax. You can also plan your life so that you get sufficient exercise, sleep, and nutritious food.
In short, you can invest the extra time and money you get by being able to work at home into creating a picking up good habits and getting rid of bad ones. Working from home provides you with a lot more freedom than you would have if you had to report to work. Therefore use this opportunity wisely if you are fortunate to have it.
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