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Flexible working hours has been on the rise, which has led to more professionals choosing to work from home. Working from home offers freedom, control, and flexibility and for working professionals who crave a good work-life balance or parents who have young children to look after, it can be a great way to focus on your personal life whilst making money.
However, the joys of staying in your house to work also come with some disadvantages. Many workers get distracted easily, are poorly organized and even find it hard to be productive in homely settings. Below are some of the pros and cons of remote working and things you can do to help yourself stay productive throughout the day.
The Pros of Working From Home
Working from home has several benefits. Below are a few:
It’s more flexible: Working from home offers you more flexibility thus allowing you to work when you are most productive. In a regular office setting, you may be forced to work during times when you don’t generate enough ideas or work effectively. Even with a T1 connection, you might not get enough accomplished.
Many people find that they are able to get more work done during the night. During the day, they experience low levels of productivity. A flexible work schedule allows you to work during hours that are convenient are good for you. In a homely comfortable environment with fewer rules and restrictions, many people thrive better.
Save money: The cost of monthly lunch and travel expenses can be high. Being able to stay at home to work will allow you to save the money you’d usually spend on food and daily commutes to the office.
Have a good work /life balance: Plenty people who work remotely often find it easier to maintain a good work-life balance. More importantly, being able to enjoy life and work from your sofa, bedroom or home-office can make you happier and more productive.
The Cons of Working from Home
With the advantages come the disadvantages. It is important to consider the cons that can come with working remotely.
It gets lonely sometimes: Working by yourself with no human interaction can make professionals feel lonely. Building relationships and solidifying connections with people may be harder too. In the most offices, you are usually surrounded by colleagues who you can talk to and befriend. That hardly happens when you are working from home and it can be quite isolating.
Flawed perception of working hours: It’s nice to be able to do everything at your own pace but you can easily get carried away with overworking and not knowing when to shut off.
For example, many people have set working hours where they are productive and after that, they focus on personal things. On the other hand, some people, have a hard time distinguishing work hours from non-work hours either (sometimes) due to lack of proper organization. This can lead to a burnout if not properly managed.
You may miss out on ad-hoc learning: Being in an office allows you to learn skills and gain knowledge from others for free, most of the time. It’s not unusual for someone from the marketing team in a company to shadow a colleague from the design team just to brush up on their Photoshop skills. You may miss out on opportunities like this if you work from home. Moreover, you may need to find these opportunities through efforts of your own.
How to Be More Productive
Working from home is great when you are productive but unfortunately, distractions are inevitable and it’s very easy to slack, so in order to increase productivity levels you need to structure your days properly.
Ensure you get enough sleep and eat foods packed with nutrients and ingredients that help you stay alert. Also, avoid working in pajamas, as they could make you feel so cozy that you don’t feel like working at all. Get dressed as you normally would if you were going to the office and work from a quiet place in your house. Make sure that your home office has the ideal layout and plenty of light.
Schedule morning and lunch breaks so you don’t experience a burnout and copy an office work pattern so you have a structure. When you make some of these adjustments, you may find that you are able to concentrate better and get more done.
Working from home can be a great way to maintain a good work-life balance which is why a lot of professionals are attracted to it. In order to be productive when working remotely, set proper working hours, allow yourself regular breaks to cool off and avoid getting distracted.
