I’ve always said that being able to work from home is a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing for obvious reasons which include being able to work from the comfort of your own home. It’s a curse though, because being able to work remotely means you are always able to work, and aren’t constricted by the 9-5.
A lot of times, I wish I had a 9-5 so I could completely disconnect when I come home. But I don’t. So what to I do?
Thankfully, my firm doesn’t require facetime as much as others, and I work on a relatively empty floor. Which means nobody really cares where I am working from, as long as my work is getting done. Every other Friday or so, I wake up feeling beat. No energy to get dressed, do my hair, etc.
Today was one of those days. No meetings on the calendar so I decided to work from home. I:
1) saved time by not having to get dressed up and commute;
2) was able to frost some cupcakes which was therapeutic;
3) got to go for a jog and enjoy the outdoors before picking my kids up from school; and
4) got to enjoy dinner at home.
I still billed 9 hours today, and I feel SO refreshed. I saved time that I otherwise would have spent conversing with colleagues in the kitchen or by the printer (which I hate – it’s often a waste of precious time). There was recently a study done that confirmed working from home is sometimes the most productive.
So IMO, working from home is sometimes the biggest blessing. Is it worth the cons of always being available? I’m not sure. What’s your take?