How do you work from home?

[Gailete]

I used to think there were too many distractions at work depending on what kind of job I had. I remember even in the days when I was a nurse and other nurse and I went around getting our work done and because neither of us smoked we never had that urge to be sneaking off on breaks. Yet at the same time there would be a bunch that when they could, sat in a corner and griped about the work and the world in general and griped about not having the time to get everything done that they were supposed to do. Yet the one guy would sit around planning his work for his second job yet didn't finish what he was supposed to for his first, main, high paying job. It seemed like everywhere I worked there would be these types taking up space, causing distractions from their constant yakking. I didn't grow up with that sort of work ethic so for me to work from home is much less distracting than working out. My problem is knowing when to quit for the day.

[disneysteve]

I think the single biggest distraction today no matter where you work is the internet. And that is aggravated by the fact that most of us need to be on the computer to do some or all of our job so it's not like we can just turn it off and focus on work. I'm constantly online for my job and I'm constantly distracted by non-work-related email and other sites including this one. It's very hard to block it all out and resist the temptation to "just check in" on things. That quickly sucks me in and before I know it, 20 minutes has passed.

[siggy_freud]

I love working from home. There are times when my job is busy and I have to put in 10+ hours a day, and there are times when it's a lull and the team is running on autopilot, and there is only about 4 hours of stuff to do. I run my teams as a results-only-work-environment, meaning I personally don't care how much time they put in, so long as we get the results we want. Working from home gives me and them the flexibility to work when we're best ready. Some make use of it, others don't. I like my team to be recharged, so if they work from home on a Friday, and only end up putting in 5-6 hours, I'm 100% okay with that, because it keeps the happy, reduces turnover, and I think ultimately gets us further towards our goals than mandating 40 hours in the office each week.

Call me lazy, but I honestly think that 40 hours a week working is too much . But I guess it depends on what you do, and how much you love it. For me, work is a means to have fun in my personal life.

[Gailete]

I would have loved having a boss that didn't mind if you quit when your work was done! Sometimes a person can do some things faster and quicker than other workers. I remember when I went to college and then nursing school where once we were finished with an exam we could turn our paper in and walk out. I was generally the first one finished simply because I read so much faster than others. Yet in HS and work situations, we were trapped in our classroom or office or whatever until everyone else is finished. Frustrating beyond belief. I hate twiddling my thumbs with nothing to do. I think that is why I hated meetings that used to be scheduled for a certain amount of time, and no matter what we had to sit there and participate for the full amount of time, even when everything had been talked out hours before. So much wasted 'work' time that could be put into bigger and better projects, or just go home early! NOTHING worse than an all day meeting on a Friday!

[LivingAlmostLarge]

my DH does work from home at night and weekends. He's love to work from home but with two small kids and only one 1 school it is not feasible in the house we're in unless he's sitting in our bed locked away. And even then the noise from us and friend and dog is not easily avoided. If he had a more private space to work it would be great but the kids right now tend to poke in our stuff since it's out and we have no office space. He does sometimes go to starbucks to work but with video calls it's impossible.

[Outdoorsygal]

Only about 5% of my work is at home and most of that is because it is where I have access to a scanner. Work only provides us a copy machine.

[HundredK]

I do all of my work at home and I love it. Here are my tips for that:

1. Be an introvert (my extrovert friends who work from home are miserable)
2. Wear your jammies to work, I do, I see it as a perk!
3. Have a clear area in your house for work. I have an office, and I have a computer and all the equipment I need in that office that is not related to my personal life.
4. When it's time to work, WORK. Don't log onto social media, check the news, browse the internet. Just work.
5. Try to set limits as far as how long you're going to work and how often you'll take breaks. This will help get the work done in a reasonable amount of time vs thinking you have all day and can meander your way through it.
6. I have a sit-stand desk, find that useful, but I also had one when I worked in a corporate office, so I wouldn't call it a work from home essential at all.

Really, it takes a certain type of personality to be able to work from home successfully and happily. If you're someone who enjoys in person interaction with others, I'd think twice about doing it full time. Me, I'm in heaven doing it every single day. I can't imagine ever working in an office again and hope I never have to.