Just imagine, the alarm goes off and instead of putting on a suit and jumping in a car you could wander off to your office, still in your pyjamas. For many people this is now more realistic than would have been just a few years ago, with the advent of the cloud and digital communication tools anyone can be truly connected to the office. Here are 10 good reasons why working at home is a good idea:
1. No commuting: instead of sitting in rush hour traffic cursing everyone around you, simply pour yourself out of bed and slouch into your home office.
2. Save time: see above – I know people who spend three hours a day commuting, time which could be better spent doing just about anything else. Unless you’re Jeremy Clarkson and actually enjoying spend that much of your life in a car.
3. Do your bit for the environment: less travel = less omissions. With all that carbon being saved, you can feel less guilty about the rubbish you should have recycled but didn’t
4. Wear what you want: escape the grey world of the work uniform. Want to wear board shorts and a Dead Kennedys t-shirt? Go for it.
5. Save money: with fuel costs getting to the point that filling up the car requires a credit agreement, your bank balance will breathe a sigh of relief.
6. Become healthier: during your breaks, you can do some squats, go for a run, anything to work up a sweat. No more excuses for ‘desk belly’.
7. Eat better: the food in your fridge is more likely to be healthier than grabbing a sandwich on the run. Unless it’s full of shop bought sarnies.
8. Flexibility: start work at 6 and finish 3. It’s up to you, as long as your work gets done, who cares. Work around your family commitments and get more of your life back.
9. Focus: flying solo frees you up from distractions, no gathering in the kitchen to discuss the latest celebrity gossip.
10. Politics: do your career a favour avoid the slippery slope of office politics, who said what to whom and why.
Of course, there are disadvantages too, such as not being part of a team and maybe missing out on the ‘buzz’ of creativity that comes from contact with other humans. But hey, that’s what Skype is for!
So, clear out your spare room, grab yourself some office furniture and create a new work life for yourself.
