The unsung benefits of working from home
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The inspiration for this post was a tweet (a post on Twitter) by Cork blogger, columnist and digital media commentator Damien Mulley back in August which extolled the virtues of pants being optional when working from home (that’s trousers, for you American readers out there, not underwear… at least I hope that’s what he meant 
).
Here I’ve compiled a small selection of the less conventional benefits of working from home: the stuff you don’t see on your regular “small business” advice forums or pro-teleworking web sites.
1. Pants are optional
Let’s start with the inspiration for this post. When you work from home you really can wear (or, indeed, choose not to wear) whatever you like.
You can check early morning e-mail in your bathrobe, take clients’ phone calls while lounging around the garden in your shorts and t-shirt, participate in a conference call in your boxer shorts… or whatever else takes your fancy. Okay, you might have to dress up for client meetings, or attending the next SOHO Solo event, the rest of the time, anything goes!
2. Rise and shine any old time
When you work from home you can get up pretty much whenever you like, and you don’t have to answer to anyone but yourself (well… okay, the wife and kids too… but you get the idea).
3 Traffic report heaven
Listening to the radio traffic reports in the morning is perversely satisfying when you’re sitting with a steaming mug of coffee contemplating a 20 second commute to the home office.
4 Family ties
A bit of a double edged sword this one… but on balance, for those of us with children, being around for breakfast, lunch and dinner with the family most days is a huge boon.
5. Fridge is always open
When you work from home the fridge is always handy if you’re feeling a bit peckish mid afternoon… which can be a good or bad thing depending on your perspective… but I think on balance it deserves to be here.
Got more to add to this list? Get commenting below and let us know your favourite thing about working from home!
1. Pants are optional
Yes although I do believe self discipline must kick in at some point;
Texting or checking email and certainly talking on the phone on the toilet, or even in the bath, should be ruled out completely.
2. Rise and shine any old time
Working in bed is a very good option with the right adaptations. Being pedestrianally challenged myself I have a laptop table next to the bed, like the bed tables in hospitals and a plugged in keyboard on my knees. (Don’t try a laptop on the knees, it can apparently, cause nasty reproductive problems for men in particular and covering the air intake on the underside of your laptop will lead to ELDS (Early Laptop Death Syndrome)
3 Traffic report heaven
Alongside listening to twitters from the poor souls on the bus in Dublin, bliss.
4 Family ties
Works good for us most of the time. We are a TPWFH (Two People Working From Home) faimily we can cover pretty well and we rotate our Work/Life days now so we each get a chance to focus fully on work every other day. My friends who are also pretty much TPWFH as well as home schooling two kids leave me a little gob smacked but then they are super organised
5. Fridge is always open
Definately a minus one for me. My partner had threatened a padlock but I’ve got a crowbar so I just have to try and get out on the bike at least once a day.
I have pretty much always been self employed but on balance I wouldn’t have it any other way. You just need to make your own schedule and keep checking the balance.
Hi Dave,
Great comment… thanks!
On point 2… haven’t really tried working in bed — but the hospital table idea sounds like a winner. As for the fertility issue of the laptop on the knee… some people (parents with maniacal kids like mine, for example) would see that as a positive thing, and ELDS as the perfect excuse for an early upgrade
We’re also a TPWFH family… and it works out perfectly. Can’t say I’d fancy the home-schooling option though… our youngest started big school this year, and seeing all three of them off on the school bus outside the door every morning is one of the highlights of my day….
One more thing… how do you manage to get out on the bike so often with the weather in West Cork… or does Beara have it’s own balmy microclimate?
Thanks and re: Allihies micro-climate; yes we have our own little patch of Caribbean climate here. The rain all happens further inland away from the coast. Just please don’t tell anyone. Not many people can find us here and we like it that way.
(Hardly anyone knows there is a bit of West Cork two and a half hours drive away from Cork City either!)
Bstrgds
Especially not the HSE et al, when they decide to uproot essential local services and transfer them to mediocre hospitals… er… I mean “Centres of Excellence”… in Cork City! You’ll be dead before you arrive, but hey, the facilities are grand!
Great post, I agree with it all!
I tend to get up and actually get dressed, but I get to dress for comfort as opposed to some corporate idea that suits somehow make us more productive.
I’ve never thought of listening to the traffic reports, I’ll give that a try tomorrow. I do love my 20 second commute though and the fact that the only traffic I encounter is my partner or young daughter.