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Friday, July 8, 2011

Working From Home: Pros and Cons so far

I'm finishing up week 2 of working from home and so far I LOVE it!  I have to say it feels completely awkward to send my kids off to my mom's and have a quite house until about 3:30 each day when I run to go pick them up.  Here's a list of my pros and cons so far:

Pros:
I don't have to get dressed in business attire unless I meet with clients (2-3 times a week).  I used to feel like I never had enough business clothes and now since I only need to dress up a few times a week and usually it's to meet different clients each time, I literally can wear the same 2 outfits over and over and as soon as I get home my jeans and T-shirts come back on!

I don't feel rushed in the morning to make breakfast and pack my lunch and snacks!  I'm definitely eating healthier and somethings our just easier made at home and eaten right away and don't get soggy sitting in my lunch sack in the fridge at work until lunch time.  I'm also not passing by Starbucks twice a day:)

If this works out, I'll save thousands of dollars a year which can either be put in savings or could pay for a couple vacations.

I don't have to pass by the annoying secretaries that don't smile or say hello or pass by people in the halls that are silent as I hurry back to my office and shut the door.

My house is flooded with sunlight!  My office on the other hand has poor lighting and NO window, it's depressing!

I'm already half way to my monthly goal and we have 3 weeks left this month still!  Because I know if I don't reach my goal, my husband and family will probably think it's nuts to work from home, but if I meet my goal and am more motivated to work when I'm home, then who can argue that!

I can throw a load of laundry in here and there, make sure everything is thawed for dinner, etc. (which is also a con).

Cons:
The urge to sleep in:)  And my definition of sleep in is to 7:30 but ideally I'd like to be up at 5am, off to the gym, and back home by 6:15 to get showered and dressed.

Having my clients randomly stop by the office (seriously hasn't happened in the past 6 years of having an office, all of a sudden happens twice in 2 weeks!!).  I just tell them I'm out at an appointment and had them meet me at the coffee shop which I loved the atmosphere of Starbucks versus our boring conference rooms at work!

I don't have a color laser printer so I still had to run into the office (just once though) to print stuff.  I actually have a laser color printer but the cartridges are empty and cost $320 to replace so it makes sense to just use the offices and pay their fee.

I feel guilty if I'm done with work but have a couple hours before an appointment with a client because if my kids were home, I could play with them, make them a snack, etc. but if I ran to my mom's to say hello, they have an all out fit if I leave.  So that's just not going to work.  Being at home and not working for any amount of time during the day feels bad.  But like I said before I can not do this job with kids in the house.  I make calls all day long and use my laptop (which they like to pound the keys and sit on my lap) so it's impossible.

And just like it can be a pro, seeing chores that need to be done while I'm working is a bit distracting and sometimes I stop and just do them if they are in eyesight (ie, a pile of laundry needs folded).

Do any of you work primarily from home with the kids or without the kids?  Have you made it work long term?

1 comment:

  1. I work from home and have so since my son was born 4 yrs ago. It is tough but also a blessing. I have just recently in the past week finally starting keeping more track of my hours as it seemed I was not working as much as I needed. I only work part time. I do feel like I am ignoring my son sometimes but he usually keeps himself occupied. I always struggle with dividing my time up but it sounds like you have a great thing going with your mom watching the kids. I know some parents have a babysitter come into the house but I just can't afford that. Good luck!

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