The Realities of Working from Home

I’d like to start this blog off with a small disclaimer. *Takes deep breath* I am acutely aware of how fortunate I am to be able to work not just from home, but generally, from anywhere in the world. Additionally, I am extremely grateful and thankful for the ability to do this. Many thanks to my wonderful husband who is so supportive of me and my dream. He is the literal best. Ever. Period.

That being said, I’ve got some beef with how working from home is portrayed and advertised. 💁Two in particular. This blog post is to clear up those fanciful illusions that are always attached to the ‘work from home’ pitch.

• The pajama appeal

Isn’t this the very first thing that jobs from home advertise?

Work all day in your pajamas! Nobody will know! Be comfortable all day!

At first, I adored this notion. Hell yea, I want to be in my pajamas all day and write! But this adoration only lasted a couple of days until I realized that staying in my pajamas all day just made me not want to work at all because I got too comfortable.

-_-

To me, pajamas are for sleeping and lounging—not working. In order to keep that association, every day I get up and get changed into a new outfit for the day and immediately feel ready to tackle whatever tasks I have ahead of me.

Interestingly enough, other remote workers I’ve met through my travels have voiced the same opinion. There’s a mindset you have to put yourself in if you are going to work from home or remotely, and that means (1) getting ready for the day and (2) having a dedicated workspace to actually do your work at.

More on the latter below.

• Work your own hours

Make no mistake, this is one aspect of working from home I do love, but buyer beware because it is not an easy task to take up. Advertisements will tote that with the smallest amount of will power, you’ll work even better from home.

via GIPHY

Let me be frank: it’s not easy.

Sticking to and keeping a schedule when you’re in the comfort of your home can be extremely hard to do. Distractions are abundant and can manifest in the smallest of tasks.

• Doing the dishes you left out the night before.
• Throwing in a load of laundry.
• Turning on the TV for some background noise

I’m still working on managing my time better, because I can very easily fall prey to these distractions (and many more). It doesn’t help that my “designated workspace” is a nice comfy chair in our living room with a prime position by the TV.

But it’s not just the distractions that will throw me off…

I don’t have defined work hours. My work day starts once I’ve got my cup of coffee in hand, and goes until… well, quite late if I’m being perfectly honest. Granted, I don’t give my work as much attention in the evening as I do during the day, but I still find myself working until 8 or 9pm in the evening. Oh, and did I mention that a majority of the time, I work on weekends?

Now that Brian and I are back in Chicago, I’m resolving to make a better schedule for myself and secure a more conducive workspace in the form of a co-working space. Until the latter comes through, I’ll be adhering to the following schedule.

Monday: Write (from home)

Tuesday: Write (from a cafe)

Wednesday: Babysit // Administrative Work

Thursday: Babysit // Administrative Work

Friday: Write (from home)

Saturday: Half-day Write (from a cafe)

Sunday: Do nothing (because burnout is real & awful)

Keep your finger’s crossed that I can stick to it and keep my sanity intact.

Do you work from home? What tricks do you use to keep yourself on task?

xxx

Rebecca