The psychology of working from home

This is the life...

For most of us, going solo means waving goodbye to rush hour and saying hello to working from home.

I have been officially working from home, for myself, for 8 months, 3 weeks and 2 days. Here’s what I’ve learnt so far…

Working from home is brilliant – there’s no other word for it. I can sleep in, take a long shower, read the paper, have a cup of tea and still be at my desk by 9am. Traffic is evil. It should (and can) be avoided.
I have trouble describing myself as ‘employed.’ Working like this is too enjoyable to be defined by a word that makes me so tense.
I’m not sure at what point ‘unemployed’ became ‘self-employed’ but it did, and I’m grateful.
Midday TV does not pose a threat to productivity. Cleaning the bathroom is both more enjoyable and more productive.
Networking is not as calculating as it sounds. It’s really just a lot of coffee and chatting in various locations around the city. Or maybe I’m doing it wrong?
Web surfing is both justifiable as a productive work activity and an excellent work-avoidance strategy.
Soloism is not for those who like routine. Flexibility is king, sundry royalty and all the little minions.
It helps if you live rent-free, with access to someone else’s computer, ISP and telephone account. Alas, all good things must come to an end.
In order to sound both professional and capable it helps if, when asked where you work, you don’t answer with “Well, I kind of don’t…Well, I do, but I’m sort of…Actually I do a bit of…”

There’s a little voice in my head that whispers that a life of sleeping in, working the hours that I choose, meeting interesting people and getting paid for it can’t last. It might be right, but there’s another little voice that keeps telling the first one to get lost, and that helps.

Ellen Jackson is a consultant psychologist specialising in people at work. She is also co-author of Turning 30: How to Get the Life You Really Want.

3 comments | Add your own

For me it was turning 40 and sitting in a big peak-hour traffic jam caused by nothing more than the sheer volume of cars. I thought of the movie 'The Gods Must be Crazy' and here I am - happily working just a few seconds away from home ! Grant Hyman from Sydney | Read my articles
In my case, I almost had no choice but to go solo when my wife accepted a transfer and promotion involving a cross-country move. At 50-plus, I felt overwhelmed by the prospect of starting over again in the job market, especially in a part of the country I knew nothing about. I realized I could do what I was doing--writing and editing--as easily for myself as a freelancer based at home as I could as a hired gun based in some university office. The start-up is long and hard (I'm new at this still) but I love the freedom and being in charge of my own days. Gary from Columbia, S.C.
Love it! I have 8 weeks left at my desk job in the corporate world before I finally get to work from home on my own business - and you have just listed all the reasons I am looking forward to it so much!
Working full time and organising start up has been time consuming and tedious at times, so thanks for reminding me of all the good things I am working towards! Ellen Sabo from Bundaberg

3 comments | Add your own

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