Man Cannot Live By Macbook Alone
There is, as far as I can tell so far, only one downside to working from home, and that is this: if, on a Monday morning, you are sporting an envy-inducing tan you got on vacation in Maui the previous week, there is no-one, sadly, to whom you can show it off.
Apart from that, though, it's going pretty well: my cats have proven to be excellent co-workers---quiet and inconspicuous, although admittedly a little cuddlier than one would expect from co-workers; perhaps time to have a word with HR about the lap-jumping?---and my usual ritual of getting ready for work (shower, choosing an outfit, blowdrying hair, little bit of makeup, changing the outfit because San Francisco weather has changed twenty degrees in the last ten minutes) has been all but obliterated, distilled simply into one simple question: stretchy yoga pants or stretchier yoga pants?
Today, however, I realized several things around 8pm: one, Sean was having dinner in the city with some friends and wouldn't be home until later. Two, there was absolutely no food in the house. And three, I hadn't actually left that house in over 48 hours, nor had I spoken a word aloud to anyone in more than twelve.
Luckily, there's a lovely little neighborhood grocery store a five minute bike ride away, and as I pedaled there in the soupy, foggy evening---it rained all day today in San Francisco; I don't think it stopped once---my lungs filled up with fresh sea air and I thought, in this order:
a) FRESH AIR! I AM BREATHING FRESH AIR!
b) OUTSIDE! I AM OUTSIDE!
c) MY LIMBS! I AM MOVING MY LIMBS!
d) PEOPLE! SOON I WILL SPEAK OUT LOUD TO PEOPLE! USING MY VOICE!
e) MY GOD, I FEEL MARVELOUS!
I think I may need to take a little walk around the block at lunch, is what I'm saying, or meet a friend upon occasion for after-work drinks. Live and learn, self! Early days yet.
Jun 28, 2011
you are adorable. carry on.
Jun 28, 2011
People who have never worked from home don't realize a few things: 1) you actually start to miss the morning routine of, you know, MAKING YOURSELF LOOK LIKE A NORMAL PERSON, 2) your vocal chords get weaker from the lack of chattering, 3) there's no home-work divide; i.e. you find yourself working far more hours from home than you would in an office, 4) going outside into the world becomes more appealing than ever.
Jun 29, 2011
This + living alone is why I go out virtually every night. Even if it's just to Walgreens to annoy the cashier for awhile.
Jun 29, 2011
You know, I usually think that people who work from home really do have it made, but I guess I would miss my to- and from-work bike rides if I didn't have to come into the office. Plus, the lack of efficient heating in the winter and no AC in the summer in our apartment would probably kill me. But if you have both of those, you're golden, you lucky duck.
Jun 29, 2011
I have found two other hazards of working from home:
1) One Monday, I rolled out of bed and put in an hour of diligent work, including emails to coworkers about things that needed to get done "today".... then realized it was Sunday. Oops.
2) The couch is developing a suspiciously arse-shaped divot. Perhaps I should change it up a bit and try actually doing some of the work at my desk.
Jun 29, 2011
YES! You're totally right. My situation often even gets compounded because my husband travels so much for work, and I'm often of the mindset that, oh, if he's out of town, I might as well get some extra work done tonight, so I just eat some yogurt and work through the evening, which occasionally leads to him walking in the door and me wearing a dress and heels and CRAZY eyes and screaming, "Please take me somewhere!"
Not that I'm incapable of going places by myself or making plans with friends -- I've actually become quite good at that over the last couple of years, and it's made a huge difference in the ratio of crazy eyes to non-crazy eyes upon his return. But it's definitely a big difference when you need to make a point to be social instead of opportunities falling on your lap.
Jun 29, 2011
When I started working at home about 2 years ago, it was completely fabulous. Sleeping pants all day, making my own plans and schedules, getting up whenever I wanted without an alarm clock - fabulous. It's still pretty fabulous but I have learned that I feel a whole lot better if I get out of the house once in a while. I go to several exercise classes and make an effort to get together with friends, otherwise I have a tendency to throw myself at my husband when he walks in the door, jabbering non-stop. A little make-up now and then doesn't hurt either.
Jun 29, 2011
I've only worked from home for a few months at a time here and there but I've also found that if I don't build in some social time I tend to fling myself at my boyfriend (who has been at work, around people, all day) and chatter nonstop at warp speed. It's also kind of weird to realize that you haven't spoken aloud all day long, right? I'm not the talk-to-myself type so sometimes I would go days without saying a word.
Jun 29, 2011
So far so good! When I work from home I feel as though I get so much done! I would think it would be the complete opposite because "the man"isn't breathing down my neck but looks like I am a bit more motivated than I thought ha!
Jun 29, 2011
I'm an author so I've been "working" from home for the past 5 years or so. I think the most important thing, to save your sanity, is to go out for a walk or trip to the store midday every day. Also...to work at a desk. I used to write on the sofa, and within SECONDS, literally seconds, I'd fall asleep.
The best part is looking out the window at rush hour, at all the suckers. The worst part is you'll be tempted not to shower. (It'll be 6PM and I'll know my husband's coming home soon, I consider not showering at all but then do the sniff test, fail it, but then still consider not showering.) It's a great life overall, you have more minutes in the day because you're not commuting or putting on makeup or...showering, and more money because you're buying sweats instead of business suits. It does get lonely, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. The first days are the hardest and weirdest, but also the time you'll be most appreciative...You'll grow used to it really fast, I promise, and will be so spoiled it'll be impossible to imagine going back. Good luck!
Jun 29, 2011
This is how I feel being on summer break when I stay in all day and then leave to interact with other people (my boyfriend is working out of town this summer). But during the school year, when I get home, it's the opposite: I'm in a room with steady temperature and it doesn't smell like teenage boy and no one is repeating my name over and over again :)
Jun 29, 2011
I knew I was in over my head when I started to neglect basic hygene. I now require that I take a shower before I do anything else and we got a dog so I would have to go outside at least three times a day.
Jun 29, 2011
You have achieved the Holy Grail here, you know. But, yes, it does come with its cautionary notes! Did I miss an announcement about what/for whom the new job is?
Jun 29, 2011
It's all so true! I am in the process of transitioning to working from home full time (3 weeks left of commuting to my office!) and these are my fears. I have dogs to keep me company and live within walking distance of everything, so it will be a matter of actually getting out of the house. That and I decided long ago that getting up early, working out, showering and getting dressed for the day not only made me more productive but made me feel better all day long. Trade your stretchy yoga pants for a stretchy Athleta skirt and you're nearly there. :)
Jun 29, 2011
I was voting for footie pajamas, myself.
Jun 29, 2011
I have already warned my boyfriend that once I am full time from home I will most likely be sprinting out of the house at 4pm actually WANTING to do the grocery shopping or ANYTHING to LEAVE THE HOUSE.
And working in my comfy clothes is the A NUMERO UNO PLUS of working at home.
Jun 29, 2011
I take my dogs for a walk every morning to ensure I get out of the house at least once. I think you've got that figured out... The bigger issue is figuring out how to stay out of the Cheetos and peanut butter M&M's, and for that, I still have no answer. Maybe having no food in the house when you're working from home isn't such a bad thing. ;)
Jun 29, 2011
lol. Yes, I can so relate. I've been working at home for a few years. It was quite an adjustment in the beginning! Just make sure you leave the house for a walk, and get dressed as you would for work or you'll start feeling wierd, isolated and live in yoga pants. Kitties during the day do help though!
Jun 29, 2011
i find myself talking to myself a LOT when i work from home. i get a little crazy that way. i also really debate - bra or no bra in the morning.
Jun 29, 2011
Haha, welcome to working from home! My goal is to be showered and dressed every day by 1:00 pm. It used to be 12:00 PM, but I failed so often that I decided to change my goal. I don't know if that is the definition of success, but you know, whatever works. :-)
Jun 29, 2011
I can't believe how ahead of the game you are. Only two days, and you've already learned these lessons? I think maybe I only learned those after 2 *years* on the job. Or maybe I'm just slow.
Jun 29, 2011
My 5 yr old son is on my lap and he just mis-read your web site's name as "Nothing But Monkeys". Just thought you'd like to know that.
Jun 30, 2011
When I first started working from home I thought it was going to be awesome - working in my pajamas, no more commute, setting my own hours. And to a large extent it still is awesome. But there's also the lack of work/home divide (which means I am always working), and the easy access to snacks (hello, extra ten pounds) and the complete lack of social interaction on most days (aside from my cats, who do make very cuddly co-workers)or any need to shower, get dressed or go outside.
Now I'm getting better at forcing myself to not start my computer until after I have gotten in a workout, to actually get dressed each morning, to set aside my lunch for the day and only eat what I planned, and to pick up the phone a few times a day rather than only emailing coworkers.
But still, every day when my husband comes home, after he's had a long day talking to people and just wants to sit in a quiet room for a few minutes, I wait outside the door, pacing around like a maniac until I can go in and bombard him with stories of my day just because it's so nice to finally interact with another human.
Jun 30, 2011
I work from home 2 days a week and in the office the other 3, and it's a pretty good balance. I get the no-shower, yoga-pants-wearing days mixed with the morning-routine, be-civilized-and-social days. I think full-time at home would require more will power on my part to make sure I left the house to workout, run errands, and see people. Because right now, those things all tend to get pushed to the days I'm ALREADY out because I was in the office.
Jun 30, 2011
Yes to Keenie Beanie's arse-shaped divot on the couch. I work partly from home (the four days a week I don't work out of the home), and my couch is paying for the fact that my office and kitchen chairs are incredibly uncomfortable for long stretches. On the other hand, the comfort of the couch means I'm far more likely to be found frowning intently and typing caustic comments to my writers (and then revising them so I don't get floods of hate email) hours after most people have left off working for drinks, food, and interaction with human beings.
On the other hand, all of the above activities occur in stretchy pants. So.
Jun 30, 2011
I've been living and working from home in a sleepy little town in east England for 8 months now. We don't know anyone in our town, and my husband usually gets home from the school where he teaches (a few towns over) around 4 or 5 pm.
It wasn't until I randomly decided to start volunteering with the British Heart Foundation once a week that I realized I have spent probably 80% of the last 8 months not speaking to ANYONE. It was a crazy moment of realization, but now that we are moving to a much busier city where I'll likely get an office job I'm already starting to miss it.
Jul 01, 2011
Yeah, working from home is not always as great as people think.... but it definitely has its moments!
Post new comment