Working remotely isn't what you would expect. Going in, I thought it would be the best thing ever - not having to get ready in the morning, not having to commute to work. I was ready for the easiest job ever. However, there are pros and cons, as I've learned in these last 6 months.
First of all, the pros. It's fantastic getting to sleep in and just roll out of bed and walk to my computer. I don't have to get out of my pajamas or do my hair - I can do that later on before I go out. But in the meantime, I get more sleep and start work straight away. That's pretty freaking fantastic.
I also love getting to set up my workstation in a really comfortable way. I have pictures of the people I love on my desk, a cozy chair to curl up in, and multiple monitors to track different tasks. I find this makes me more productive as well - the more you love your work space and feel at home, the more you focus and get things done.
Food. Another great thing about working at home is that I can literally walk downstairs to my fridge and eat whenever I want. Of course, it's not good for my waistline ;) But it means that I'm able to not take a full-on lunch break, and instead snack during the day and power through more work. And, it means that I don't have to worry about packing food easily microwaved or eaten. I can use my oven, kitchen supplies, and anything else I want. I can also make my food fresh right when I want to eat it. And since I absolutely LOVE food, this is pretty darn awesome.
Now, the not so good things about working remote....
I have never met anyone I work with. No one. So I miss out on all the workplace camaraderie and friendship that could occur. There are no conversations around the water cooler, or grabbing drinks after work. I usually work alone in my room all day, with not much human contact. It can be pretty lonely - at the end of the day, I feel like a hermit. I try to run errands or make plans to get myself out for brief periods of time, but usually I simply don't leave my house until after work. HELP. The quiet and loneliness is something I didn't expect. However, I keep music or a TV show playing while I work so the quiet is broken and I feel less alone ;)
I also don't have a reason to get ready for most of the day. While yes, this can be pretty awesome, sometimes I also feel pretty frumpy. And it's weird getting dressed and putting makeup on at 4pm. I try to get ready in the mornings anyway in case I need to pop out quickly to do something - but I still sometimes wish I had more reasons to get all put together [during the day - don't worry, I go out at night after work].
Finally, it's tough to work remotely because there isn't someone right there next to you to bounce ideas off of. Sometimes I'm confused about a task I'm assigned, or I want to run some different subject line or phrase ideas with a colleague. In order to do this, I have to send them an IM and wait for a response. And when it comes to editing, everything is done via a Google Doc or tracking changes via Word. While I love technology and find it easy to do this, I miss the art of using a red pen to mark up a paper. The feeling of flipping through pages and scratching comments and suggestions on paper is something I miss and love.
Don't think I'm complaining, though. I love my jobs and I love working remote. It's a luxury and a blessing to have two jobs, and the flexibility to control my work environment and hours. As my first jobs post-grad, I feel incredibly lucky to have transitioned so easily into the professional world.
What do you think about work environments, and working remote?